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A review by koehneisland
Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith
2.0
I needed some time to sit with this book before I could give it an honest review.
First off, I don't know how to address the controversy over JK Rowling, her not-so-short history of problematic opinions, and what she put on the page in this book, other than to say that no matter what she thinks her intentions here may have been, concepts she weaves into this story are transphobic. And ableist. And not really all that feminist--or at least, not aligned to modern, inclusive, feminism.
I'll never begrudge an artist for weaving their politics into their work, because I don't think apolitical art exists. It's her right. I also don't think her editors made smart choices in letting her use a bulk of the 900+ pages to rail against modern feminism, but hey, she's the most successful writer of all time; who's gonna tell her no? That's a gripe for another time. Here are the ones I have time for:
1. The book is too long. It just is. There's no need for the sheer quantity of red herrings thrown about. At nearly 700 pages in, about 3/4 of a year has passed, and Strike literally claims that "they have nothing." And he's not kidding! Unacceptable.
2. There's a scene in the book where the character are arguing about the efficacy of SlutWalks, in terms of whether or not they actually do the feminist movement any good. The books politics differ from mine here, but I didn't really mind being confronted with a different perspective.
3. That said, I absolutely minded how Rowling treats characters with cognitive disabilities. We saw some of this in The Silkworm, and its back in full force, if not worse, in this book. And it has made me re-examine how she treats characters who have physical impairments as well. I feel like there are some glimmers of *really* astute social commentary--regarding the quality of effort or care that society is willing to extend to people with disabilities--peppered among the atrocious stereotyping of these same people. It's almost rage inducing, that someone could be aware of these things and still have such glaring blind spots.
4. The will-they-won't-they with Robin and Strike has dragged on so long now that I actually think it would be irresponsible to match them up now. Their flirtationship kept me going throughout Lethal White, even when I got a little bored with the rest of the plot, but it feels dead in the water in Troubled Blood. If Rowling intended to increase the sexual tension between them by offering up 100 different of excuses of why Strike and Robin shouldn't hook up, what she's actually achieved is selling me on the idea that, yes, it would just be best if they remained friends and professional partners AND ABSOLUTELY NOTHING MORE.
I only give one-star reviews to books that I really hated, so this one got two. But boy, I really didn't enjoy or savor this read.
First off, I don't know how to address the controversy over JK Rowling, her not-so-short history of problematic opinions, and what she put on the page in this book, other than to say that no matter what she thinks her intentions here may have been, concepts she weaves into this story are transphobic. And ableist. And not really all that feminist--or at least, not aligned to modern, inclusive, feminism.
I'll never begrudge an artist for weaving their politics into their work, because I don't think apolitical art exists. It's her right. I also don't think her editors made smart choices in letting her use a bulk of the 900+ pages to rail against modern feminism, but hey, she's the most successful writer of all time; who's gonna tell her no? That's a gripe for another time. Here are the ones I have time for:
1. The book is too long. It just is. There's no need for the sheer quantity of red herrings thrown about. At nearly 700 pages in, about 3/4 of a year has passed, and Strike literally claims that "they have nothing." And he's not kidding! Unacceptable.
2. There's a scene in the book where the character are arguing about the efficacy of SlutWalks, in terms of whether or not they actually do the feminist movement any good. The books politics differ from mine here, but I didn't really mind being confronted with a different perspective.
3. That said, I absolutely minded how Rowling treats characters with cognitive disabilities. We saw some of this in The Silkworm, and its back in full force, if not worse, in this book. And it has made me re-examine how she treats characters who have physical impairments as well. I feel like there are some glimmers of *really* astute social commentary--regarding the quality of effort or care that society is willing to extend to people with disabilities--peppered among the atrocious stereotyping of these same people. It's almost rage inducing, that someone could be aware of these things and still have such glaring blind spots.
4. The will-they-won't-they with Robin and Strike has dragged on so long now that I actually think it would be irresponsible to match them up now. Their flirtationship kept me going throughout Lethal White, even when I got a little bored with the rest of the plot, but it feels dead in the water in Troubled Blood. If Rowling intended to increase the sexual tension between them by offering up 100 different of excuses of why Strike and Robin shouldn't hook up, what she's actually achieved is selling me on the idea that, yes, it would just be best if they remained friends and professional partners AND ABSOLUTELY NOTHING MORE.
I only give one-star reviews to books that I really hated, so this one got two. But boy, I really didn't enjoy or savor this read.