December Book Review: More Than a Mystery

I can't believe it has been four months since I last participated in the monthly Book Review Club.  I could blame my absence on spending so much time in the garden, a little traveling, or other activities, all of which are true.  But it's just as true that although I've read more books than I can remember in the past few months, few have made any kind of lasting impression on me.  That is, until I discovered Kate Atkinson.  After reading When Will There Be Good News? a few months ago, I was hooked and recently finished the book that followed it.  Finally, a book worth sharing with you!

Tracy Waterhouse, a retired police officer, is making her rounds as a security guard for a shopping mall when she sees a small child being dragged along and verbally abused by her mother.  Tracy rushes to help the poor little girl and impulsively offers the mother money to "buy" the child.

Private investigator Jackson Brodie, also a retired police detective, is once again a single man after his last wife left him, taking most of his savings with her. But he takes on an unexpected responsibility,  when he sees a thug swearing at a Border Collie and takes the dog after punching out its abusive owner.

Strange beginnings for a mystery novel, but Started Early, Took My Dog is not your typical mystery, and Kate Atkinson is not one of your typical writers of detective fiction. Even the title is quirky, a line taken from a poem by Emily Dickinson.

Started Early is the third in a series of four novels featuring private investigator Jackson Brodie.  In this novel he is more interested in finding himself and wandering about the English countryside--now with a dog at his side--than he is in the case he's accepted--finding the birth parents of a young woman adopted some thirty years ago whose adoptive parents emigrated to New Zealand where she now lives. But when Jackson discovers he is being followed and when someone tries to kill him, he begins to think there is more to this case than a simple matter of identification.

Tracy Waterhouse, unattached and resigned to living out the rest of her life eating take-out suppers alone in front of the television, finds her life turned upside down after taking young Courtney. Determined to provide Courtney a better life than she must have had with her prostitute mother, Tracy buys everything she thinks the little girl needs, including a fairy costume complete with wand that Courtney wears everywhere, and  she begins to plan trips to the zoo and the park.  She begins to worry, though, that the little girl's real mother might want her back and that buying a child is not exactly sanctioned by the law.  She realizes that establishing a new identity and moving far away where no one will question their relationship is the only answer.

When she bought the kid she made a covenant with the devil.  She could have someone to love but it would cost her everything.  She thought of the Little Mermaid, every step torture, a pain like the piercing of sharp swords.  Just to be human, to love.

Kid dipped her wand in Tracy's direction.  Granting a wish or casting a spell, hard to tell which.  Courtney had knitted herself into Tracy's soul.  What would happen if she was ripped away?

This was love.  It didn't come free, you paid in pain.  Your own.  But then nobody ever said love was easy.  Well, they did, but they were idiots.

Typical of many contemporary mystery writers, Atkinson alternates the stories of Brodie and Waterhouse along with two other characters, one of them Tillie, an aging actress. Tillie witnesses the same scene between mother and daughter as Tracy, but in the early stages of dementia, she is so confused she can't remember where she put her purse or why she is looking for a policeman.  How all these storylines fit together piques the reader's curiosity, and Atkinson skillfully weaves the threads of the plot together as the novel progresses. 

Critics have praised Atkinson's writing and often remark that her novels are more literary fiction than detective fiction. Although this series is labeled as the "Jackson Brodie" novels, other characters figure just as prominently in the book and are often more engaging. I like to think of her books as the thinking woman's mysteries.  Her voice is unique and compelling, blending the characters' thoughts with literary allusions, keen observations on society, and wit in the face of tragedy. Unlike other mysteries which I often read at a fast pace in order to find out "whodunit," I found myself stopping to savor some of her prose:

The dog scampered by his side all the way back to Bella Vista in a state of near delirium.  At the site of the train crash two years ago Jackson's life had been saved by a girl administering CPR.  Now he had been saved by the loyalty of a dog.  The less innocent he was, the more innocent his saviors became.  There was some kind of exchange at work in the universe that he didn't understand.

New granddog Eddie was found living on the streets and taken in by a pug rescue society.  He now leads a pampered life with my daughter and son-in-law, enjoying long walks in the park and watching football games--yes, that is a Chicago Bears jersey he's wearing!

Started Early, Took My Dog is a story of redemption and resiliency, of unlikely heroes and characters haunted by their past.  These are ordinary people struggling to survive in a world full of sadness, and trying to make it a better place, one child or one dog at a time.

A damaged child that could still sing could be rescued, couldn't she? Could be taken to pantomimes and circuses, zoos and petting farms and Disneyland.  Wasn't going to end up hanging around Sweet Street West looking for business. Chevaunne.  She could have been rescued once.  They could all have been rescued, all the Chevaunnes, all the Michael Braithwaites, all the starved and beaten and neglected.  If there'd been enough people to rescue them.

If you're looking for a Christmas gift for that hard-to-buy for person on your list, a book is always a perfect fit.  Whether that person is a mystery-lover or a gardener or a history buff, you're sure to find something that suits them.  And there's nothing better to give a child than the gift of the love of reading.  You might want to check out the other reviews at host Barrie Summy's for some ideas.  As for me, I hope Santa takes the hint and puts another Kate Atkinson book in my stocking!

The Poisoned Pen Bookstore--photo from Wikipedia.

Author's Disclaimer--No compensation of any kind was received for this review.  I review only books I like and purchase my own copy or check them out from the library.  This book was purchased at one of my favorite bookstores, The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Arizona. An independent bookstore that I'm happy to report is still thriving despite the economy, it is known for its collection of mysteries and Southwest literature, and it hosts many, many book signings by famous authors from all over.  If you're ever in the Phoenix area, it's definitely worth a visit!