Started Early, Took My Dog Again

I keep thinking about one aspect of the unraveling of the mystery in this book. At the beginning, Atkinson quotes the following rhyme -

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

For want of a nail. I won't say who or what this refers to, and in fact it is used by many characters. But there is one particular person I'm thinking of who needed a nail. In his/her case (I am so not spoiling a Kate Atkinson book!) it wasn't just one nail. It was a pattern of behavior. It was a decision to behave in a certain manner -- one moment of disapproval followed by months of acting out that disapproval.

For want of a wiser decision. For want of a bit of compassion. For want of remembering our own struggles and imperfections...

This is another reason I love Kate Atkinson. She makes me think. Her characters are real and terribly imperfect. I love Jackson Brodie the character while knowing that if I met him in person I would run away screaming. But Jackson is real, with weaknesses and strengths and I love seeing him figure out the mystery. He's always one step ahead of me, that's for sure. I know there are people who say they've figured out who done it in every Sherlock Holmes story - well, I never have. Nor did I ever figure out the puzzle in any of the Encyclopedia Brown books. (Encyclopedia may have been my very first nerd-crush. He was just so clever!)

How long do I have to wait for the next Kate Atkinson book? Sigh.

Started Early, Took My Dog

Just finished this book, Kate Atkinson's latest. She is my favorite contemporary author and an amazing plotter. I wound up with post-its all over the front cover - names, spouses, important details - just to keep the characters straight. Atkinson includes lots of narrative and I always feel as if I know her characters intimately... I can see, hear and almost smell them. She includes multitudes of sensory detail.

And she is wonderfully maddening. Just as soon as I think I've discovered a possible answer, the "clue" turns into a red herring. I just love it when that happens!

Now it's on to Swallows and Amazons.