The Case Of The Imaginary Detective (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
This is one of those books that I read and finish and then forget with that curious brand of immediate reader amnesia I sometimes get, which is what caused me to start writing goodreads reviews in the first place. The amnesia is a pity, because I'm pretty sure I found it frequently charming. Paging through it again now, I recall enough to say that the writing is strong but the characterization didn't spark my interest. The premise is good, the setting exquisitely drawn, and the moods captured wittily and elegantly. But meh plot and meh characters. At the end of this book, the viewpoint character, Rima, writes to another character, "I hope you'll agree it's best to leave the past in the past." If you see this as the hard-won wisdom of a young woman finally overcoming her grief, chances are you'll like this book. It's very well-observed and full of wry turns of the phrase that sometimes made me laugh out loud.If you read that quotation and think, "That's a cop-out. Fowler toys with the structure of a mystery but never really solves it, and that makes the book pointless for me," then you may resent the author's voice for enticing you to read the book.Personally, I enjoyed it. Not just for the voice or for the shades of Rebecca, Misery, Jane Eyre, and Northanger Abbey that color the book. I liked the familiarity with fan fiction and chat rooms. I enjoyed the local history. And unlike many reviewers, I found Rima a sympathetic character--although I wouldn't lend her my car keys!
What do You think about The Case Of The Imaginary Detective (2008)?
It was okay but not great. A little hard to follow...
—Shelly23
More Karen Joy Fowler, please. She makes me so happy.
—IonaMM
Will go back to it sometime and give it another go.
—omoratinos
