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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A novel of explosive, devastating power., 10 Nov 2002
The spectacular imagery of the remote southern Appalachian mountains, with its buckeye, jewelweed, basswood, and pileated woodpeckers, comes sensuously to life as a lone woman hacks out shingles for a roof on her cabin and hides from visitors. Suddenly, the woman reacts to this quiet, pastoral scene: "An owl screamed in the wood and I wanted to ride behind its eyes when it plunged its talons into living flesh, wanted to tear something warm and soft to pieces while it squealed." With this remarkable sentence, I was totally hooked--by the strong visual images, by the frightening responses of this damaged woman to the sights and sounds around her, and by the emotional desolation of her life.Aud Torvingen, a former police officer who has killed more than once in the line of duty, has withdrawn from the world to her isolated cabin, grieving and guilt-ridden about the loss of her lover in a shooting she believes to be her fault. When an old friend asks her to find his missing fiancee, Aud journeys to Greenwich Village and a scene of such brutality the reader will not soon forget it. Devastated by the events, Aud understands that she must rebuild her shattered self from the ground up if she ever hopes to recover her life. Griffith's imagery and psychological acuity are overwhelming. She sets up vivid, sensual contrasts between the pastoral life of Appalachia and the urban life of New York, provides total access to Aud's ravaged psyche, makes the reader truly care for this woman who has killed more than once, and encourages us to hope for her emotional rebirth. The book is stunning, and the writing is truly extraordinary! One caveat, however. While most of us willingly suspend disbelief when faced with excellent, compulsively readable fiction, this book, like some other recent books and films, also encourages us to suspend some of our long held values. Some readers may have trouble accepting the premise here that some people are above the law and that ad hoc, vigilante action is sometimes excusable. Mary Whipple
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by Nicola Griffith
by Nicola Griffith
by Nicola Griffith
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