And our November Book of the Month is...CASE HISTORIES by Kate Atkinson (discussion Tuesday 25 November)

[TillyBookClub]

We'll be chatting about our Book of the Month, Kate Atkinson's CASE HISTORIES, a brilliantly inventive take on the crime novel, on Tuesday 25 November from 8-10pm.

I'll let you know asap if the author can join us - and don't forget you can order your copy here.

Keen to know how the votes turned out? Have a snoop at the results here

And, for anyone who missed them first time round, here were November's book choices

[JustineMumsnet]

Yes they overlapped but I thought they might interconnect a wee bit more - other than via Jackson that is. Having gone to all that trouble it seemed to me there might have been just one more plot twist?
I agree Laura was too perfect, though I did find myself wondering what Theo had done and thinking I should copy that and end up with a perfect daughter... I did think that Jennifer as the un-favourite child was a good likeness.

[grandmabet]

He did remind me a bit of Ian Rankin's Rebus - the only one I can think of who exudes any kind of happiness and contentment is the one in Midsomer Murders -can't remember his name!

[JustineMumsnet]

I agree completely on Jackson as a stereotypical Private Eye - Jackson's character + plus the Cambridge setting made me think the Author has a clear eye on the prize of an ITV primetime serialisation.

[TillyBookClub]

pyschobabble, just wanted to say the blowing up of house had me scratching head too. In fact a lot of incidents involving Jackson were slightly random I felt, and the book moved on from them so quickly that I never go to grips with why they were there. Perhaps all crime novels need red herrings.

I don't think the writing was lazy. I do think it is Atkinson's style to use brackets, jump back and forth, have a lot of black humour, etc. I'm just not sure if it works so well in a crime genre as it does in a non-genre book.

[grandmabet]

Yes, Psychobabble, I think that is what I've been trying to say - you have put it very succinctly!

[fishie]

sorry am not on same book as you, currently half way through 'when will there be good news' which nearly made me cry on the district line at 7.30am. so, morningpaper, yes it is dead harrowing but i'd rather that than bad writing.

i was going to reread case histories to join in, but had ordered other from library and it arrived so..

anyway, i agree that some of the plot doesn't stand up. but i do enjoy her writing so much, totally gripping and i haven't noticed the brackets. this later one is a lot about motherhood so far. also i rather love jackson brodie.

tilly, did kate atkinson turn nose up or just unavailable?

[TillyBookClub]

Who has daughters amongst us? how did it make you feel about their safety/innocence/future? Because all the terrible things in the book happen to young girls/women and there were times where I felt Atkinson was making strong social comments about the vulnerability of women, and the need to protect/support/watch out for them.

[TillyBookClub]

apologies for that last post by the way, seems I have the forward slash button stuck to my index finger...

fishie, Kate Atkinson unavailable due to new book promotion etc so too difficult to fit in.

Is When Will there be Good News a Jackson Brodie book too?

Despite some of my grumbles above I still think Atkinson is great. Like Hassled, I wouldn't mind being her when I grow up...

[afterwords]

There was almost a warning that loving a child too much is inviting grief into your life- Theo's love for Laura and Rosemary's for Olivia for example, and even with Brodie and his daughter, which I found really sad.

[lemurtamer]

I did get to a point of thinking why I am reading another story about awful things happening to girls, and did try to see an overall point being made, though I'm not sure I found one. Apart from the obvious one that we live in a society where awful things happen to girls and children.
I have a son but reading this did make me more jumpy than usual about keeping him within sight.

[whistlejacket]

I think there was a theme around families in general being troubled and tragic. Even for Jackson in losing his mum and sister and then splitting from his wife who's going to take his daughter to New Zealand.

[TillyBookClub]

Yes, very true that the bad things were ordinary life gone a wrong. Not grand, exceptional circumstances like most crime novels but just everyday family drama or random events.

They all seemed like accidents. Quite different to the pre-meditated Agatha Christie stylee whodunnits.

[lalaa]

bugger. totally forgot this was happening today. will read thread directly!

[lemurtamer]

I thought it was awful to even the idea of letting children sleep alone in tents in a garden, but then remembered I did it with a few others, before I was at secondary school.

Q - are we having a December book club, or having a Christmas break to make more time for stuffing down stollen?

[TillyBookClub]

Having a Christmas break for December - we toyed with the idea of doing ghost stories but decided everyone was probably too busy with the stollen and the Sellotape to get together and discuss.

Back with a bang in January though. I will post a thread giving the dates and announcing Christmas break. Should have done it today but was interrupted by powercut (does anyone else live in E. Anglia here? And have they been having the same massive snowstorms? We had a complete white out at the weekend, proper blizzards, snowmen and everything...)

[lemurtamer]

Was on the edge of snow at weekend in Hertfordshire, and that was enough for me. No power cuts.

[lalaa]

I found this difficult to put down, but also difficult to keep up with - the different cases running along side each other sometimes lost me. This, I think in part is because I was reading it in 10 minute bursts before I fell asleep but also because it was like three different stories, and I never really got to 'know' most of the characters as much as I would have liked to. I would have liked to have known more about the Caroline character, and about Jackson himself. Some of the characters and their back-stories were difficult to retain in my mind!

[TillyBookClub]

Thanks everyone for a great chat. Currently trying to decide whether to get to grips with her new HB - anyone who has read it please let me know what you make of it (and if it is as harrowing as this one).

Details of 2009 dates to come.

[whistlejacket]

I agree lalaa as I read it in small chunks before I fell asleep each night. Would pick it up next eve trying to remember which story I was following. It actually moved a bit too slowly for me, by the time the Caroline story was introduced I was almost losing interest in the large number of characters and just wanting the story to move on.

[morningpaper]

OMG I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THIS

I read the book and everything

[morningpaper]

well I'm 12 hours too late

"It can be odd to be totally absorbed by a book even when you're not sure you actually LIKE it very much. "

I agree

and also I agree with the poster who said it seemed like a warning not to have children because it opens you up to so much vulnerability

(but that might have been me projecting my own terrors feelings)

I thought the humour was good but there isn't much you can do to lift that sort of story into the humorous

I can't believe I fecking missed it AND there's no book club next month

can we sign up to an email alert when the book club discussion starts?!

[morningpaper]

I CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED IT

I WAS HERE FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES AND THEN I STARTED WRAPPING CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FFS

[TillyBookClub]

Sorry morningpaper - I was wondering where you were, should have sent you a text. Can do that next time if you want?

Can't believe you're already wrapping your presents - mine are still awaiting identification. Got my 6 month old sorted (scrunched up wrapping paper) but everyone else is a mystery.