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A review by caoilo
The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly
Did not finish book.
Thank You to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton who gave me an e-ARC for review.
Frank Churcher has managed to make an amazing book that not only tells a story but also includes a treasure hunt of sorts. Churcher's story tells of a murdered woman who's body was hidden, the book gives the clues to where her body parts lay. People, fan's, hunters who ever they are have searched the whole of England to find her. Some of them even think the story is a true one and that when Elinore is put back together she will live again.
Only one bone remains and Frank has decided to tell fan's where it is. But will this news cause more harm than the whole history of the hunt.
Personally I began to dislike this book almost immediately. I feel the narrations was very negative from the beginning. For instance the description of Cora and her bedsit. The misogyny of Franks lust for Cora, but he seemed uninterested in her as a person. This was later fallowed up by the fact that Frank had several affairs. There also seems to be an anti Irish/xenophobic feel to it.
I am aware that Kelly probably has Irish ancestry but this piece felt very anti Irish well before page 5o. Lal being an alcoholic, turning down a knighthood as he saw himself as being a soldier of Ireland. Not forgetting that he saw himself as Catholic and was there for against abortion. There was also her mention that the children were given Irish names "just to annoy the English", and not as a continence of heritage.
With in the first 50 pages I found so much of the material to be so problematic that I gave up. There was no way I was going to read another 400+ pages. Even the hint of Pedophilia /ephebophilia was enough for me. If your wondering where that accursed it was when Eleanor thought Oisin was checking Billie out.
Kelly also had a habit of telling, which was probably just as good given the size the book already was. And while I have no problem with books that swap timelines, I felt this book was all over the place, by about page 50 we had already been to 1992, 1969, 2021, 1972. As if that wasn't bad enough we then have Eleanor tell us about the past too. And as for the kids, I have no idea how some of them were raised by feminists, up until this point I didn't really see any feminism, only judgement.
There also seemed to be very little setting of scenes. I didn't feel like I was in 70's London or any other time period. There was no change in atmosphere and I felt the description of the female characters was lazy.
Not sure what it says about the writing style, other then it was an easy read. I could have seen myself finishing it in just a few days. Which is saying something as a book of this size would usually take me a month or more. Personally I don't think I would have called it poetic, perhaps flowing would be a better term. Having said that it was just too problematic for me.
Kelly seems to have wanted to make this book so many genres that she has failed (in my opinion) to make it any one thing. If this is how mysteries are written in general I will stick to plain fiction thanks. All be it none problematic ones. To be honest it is probably my own fault, I saw the stunning cover and read the blurb. Due to both I requested it, only when my request was granted did I realize I had read a book by this author before and didn't like it much.
I can see the type of audience this would appeal to but unfortunately, it is not for this woke, agnostic, feminist, Irish woman. (The non Irish soldier type!)
Frank Churcher has managed to make an amazing book that not only tells a story but also includes a treasure hunt of sorts. Churcher's story tells of a murdered woman who's body was hidden, the book gives the clues to where her body parts lay. People, fan's, hunters who ever they are have searched the whole of England to find her. Some of them even think the story is a true one and that when Elinore is put back together she will live again.
Only one bone remains and Frank has decided to tell fan's where it is. But will this news cause more harm than the whole history of the hunt.
Personally I began to dislike this book almost immediately. I feel the narrations was very negative from the beginning. For instance the description of Cora and her bedsit. The misogyny of Franks lust for Cora, but he seemed uninterested in her as a person. This was later fallowed up by the fact that Frank had several affairs. There also seems to be an anti Irish/xenophobic feel to it.
I am aware that Kelly probably has Irish ancestry but this piece felt very anti Irish well before page 5o. Lal being an alcoholic, turning down a knighthood as he saw himself as being a soldier of Ireland. Not forgetting that he saw himself as Catholic and was there for against abortion. There was also her mention that the children were given Irish names "just to annoy the English", and not as a continence of heritage.
With in the first 50 pages I found so much of the material to be so problematic that I gave up. There was no way I was going to read another 400+ pages. Even the hint of Pedophilia /ephebophilia was enough for me. If your wondering where that accursed it was when Eleanor thought Oisin was checking Billie out.
Kelly also had a habit of telling, which was probably just as good given the size the book already was. And while I have no problem with books that swap timelines, I felt this book was all over the place, by about page 50 we had already been to 1992, 1969, 2021, 1972. As if that wasn't bad enough we then have Eleanor tell us about the past too. And as for the kids, I have no idea how some of them were raised by feminists, up until this point I didn't really see any feminism, only judgement.
There also seemed to be very little setting of scenes. I didn't feel like I was in 70's London or any other time period. There was no change in atmosphere and I felt the description of the female characters was lazy.
Not sure what it says about the writing style, other then it was an easy read. I could have seen myself finishing it in just a few days. Which is saying something as a book of this size would usually take me a month or more. Personally I don't think I would have called it poetic, perhaps flowing would be a better term. Having said that it was just too problematic for me.
Kelly seems to have wanted to make this book so many genres that she has failed (in my opinion) to make it any one thing. If this is how mysteries are written in general I will stick to plain fiction thanks. All be it none problematic ones. To be honest it is probably my own fault, I saw the stunning cover and read the blurb. Due to both I requested it, only when my request was granted did I realize I had read a book by this author before and didn't like it much.
I can see the type of audience this would appeal to but unfortunately, it is not for this woke, agnostic, feminist, Irish woman. (The non Irish soldier type!)