Scan barcode
A review by mollymctouch
Speakers of the Dead: A Walt Whitman Mystery by J. Aaron Sanders
5.0
Speakers of the Dead absolutely sucks you in from the very first page. Read it, read it, read it! Aaron Sanders brings Walt Whitman to life deeply and fully in this brilliant, fast-paced mystery. In it, we follow a young Whitman as he investigates a body snatching ring and tries to clear the name of his friend, who was executed in the heart-wrenching first pages for the murder of her husband.
Sanders cleverly weaves in hints of Whitman’s poetry, which lends a dreamy quality to the novel that still somehow also manages to ground us in the reality of the work. I really believed I was walking with Whitman the entire novel. There isn’t a false note. It's so well-done, in fact, that I had to go looking for my own copy of Leaves of Grass because once I finished the book, I needed more Whitman.
The world of 19th century New York City, so vividly wrought, must have been painstakingly researched, but the writing is so fine that at no point does this novel feel like a history lesson. It is, quite simply, Walt Whitman’s world--and yours, as Sanders takes you for the ride. I am already looking forward to the next installment.
Sanders cleverly weaves in hints of Whitman’s poetry, which lends a dreamy quality to the novel that still somehow also manages to ground us in the reality of the work. I really believed I was walking with Whitman the entire novel. There isn’t a false note. It's so well-done, in fact, that I had to go looking for my own copy of Leaves of Grass because once I finished the book, I needed more Whitman.
The world of 19th century New York City, so vividly wrought, must have been painstakingly researched, but the writing is so fine that at no point does this novel feel like a history lesson. It is, quite simply, Walt Whitman’s world--and yours, as Sanders takes you for the ride. I am already looking forward to the next installment.