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A review by kats05
O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker
3.0
I wanted to love this book because of the promise it held as soon as I looked at it:
* set in Scotland
* glowing praise in foreword by my beloved Maggie O' Farrell
* gothic tale
* dysfunctional family story
* starts with a murder
and yet.... this book didn't capture me, I didn't care for the storyline, nor any of the characters, and six months on, I don't remember all that much about it except that I likes the style of writing but not the gloomy, depressing atmosphere. Perhaps some dark humour (of which there was some, but not enough) could have lifted this up in my estimation. Even though there is a murder in a moody setting, it isn't a thriller or murder mystery - even the "who's dunnit" reveal is a bit depressing.
* set in Scotland
* glowing praise in foreword by my beloved Maggie O' Farrell
* gothic tale
* dysfunctional family story
* starts with a murder
and yet.... this book didn't capture me, I didn't care for the storyline, nor any of the characters, and six months on, I don't remember all that much about it except that I likes the style of writing but not the gloomy, depressing atmosphere. Perhaps some dark humour (of which there was some, but not enough) could have lifted this up in my estimation. Even though there is a murder in a moody setting, it isn't a thriller or murder mystery - even the "who's dunnit" reveal is a bit depressing.