Monday, February 04, 2008

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

This is a good example of early detective writing. Interest and suspense are sustained across several narrators who relate their direct experience and observations of the developing mystery - sometimes in a quite humorous way. In my opinion, the pace flags a bit in the penultimate phase when breathless Victorian cant of unrequited love and frustrated longing come to the fore. However, in the novel's culmination, the maudlin is supplanted by a return to the intriguing exposition of the story's final events. This book is an excellent example of it's type employing a variety of narrative styles and techniques in a masterful way.

It should also be noted that there is a streak of 19th century British racism throughout this novel. The Indians (never fleshed out as characters to any remarkable degree) are portrayed as mysterious, malevolent, dumb, and subject to a kind of magical idolatry. ( 4 stars )

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