Now I wait for Katrina, Scottish blogger of Pining for the West, who I hope will fill us in on the real-world background that must have motivated Rankin's plot. Corporate corruption--the robbing of state coffers--all in the name of providing jobs to thousands while stuffing the pockets of a few powerful men. Isn't that the way everywhere in the world?
I have two books from BookSwim that I am dying to read. The first is the highly acclaimed memoir by Boston's Gail Caldwell about her friendship with Caroline Knapp, another brilliant writer, author of the memoir Drinking: A Love Story. Let's Take the Long Way Home is short and unrelentingly pithy, about the love and tight bonds between two sympatico women friends, who weather the ups and downs in each other's lives, and who push each other to reach beyond their individual boundaries. The story is also about Gail's loss and grief: Caroline succumbed to cancer in mid-life.
Judith,
ReplyDeleteI read this post last night and I've racked my brains trying to think of anything specific which would have inspired Ian Rankin to come up with the story but no luck. I think it's just generally the sort of thing that happens, most of the time we won't hear about it.
I enjoyed the book but thought it ended a bit abruptly. I don't know if there was anything else that you would like to discuss about it. I know that Danielle was going to be reading it too.