Case histories : a novel (original 2004; edition 2004)

This was such a wonderfully enveloping story. I got lost in it and I couldn't put it down. I read it right after I finished writing my thesis and graduated and it was the perfect transition to a more relaxed existence...
As far as the story goes: Atkinson is a beautiful writer. Very lyrical and wry, shocking and funny. This story broke my heart and amused me all at once. She's fantastic. I can't wait to read the sequel! ( )

Second book by Atkinson and I see a pattern in her writing. Several characters with interwoven stories. ( )

I really loved this book. It kept me guessing all the way through and the way everything came together at the end was great. ( )

This book was a fine escape, and I felt the character development was excellent. Particularly the characters of Jackson and Amelia I felt were well fleshed out, and I truly cared about what happened to them. I think the moment I realized that Atkinson had made a likable character in Jackson was when he found out his 8-year old daughter was being moved to New Zealand; I distinctly remember being angry for Jackson at the seeming callousness of his ex-wife.

With that said, the plot could have used a bit of work in my opinion. In none of the three cases did Jackson really do all that much to solve the crime. In Olivia's case, he essentially did what should have been done 34 years earlier: interview the family and push when he had to. Now clearly the discovery of Blue Mouse (Olivia's stuffed animal) changed the equation from when the case was investigated earlier, but Jackson didn't have to do much to find out what happened to Olivia. Similarly, in Laura's case, all he did was interview a friend of Laura's, which led him to another interview, followed by another until there you have it, the killer. And in Caroline/Michelle/Shirley/Tanya's case, he did absolutely nothing. I understand that this book was not intended to be simply another mystery novel, and I can certainly appreciate that, but a little more, ahem, mystery would have been excellent.

But this book was quite enjoyable merely because of the characters. The dynamic between Julia and Amelia was captured perfectly, and the "dance" between Jackson and Julia was interesting as well. For a book that I more or less just picked up on the fly, I was happy to have lost myself in it for a few weeks. ( )

Three cold cases are solved in this deceptively simple novel. Very upsetting stuff, but well-written with some sympathetic characters. Surprised by twists. ( )