Craig's review - 3 march 2008
I want to start the review of this novel with a writing lesson. Or a revision. Perhaps a confused question? Because this novel had a serious flaw, in my opinion. And I was still captivated to read it.
Let's talk first person perspective in writing. First person presents a challenge for the writer in that the story is solely told through the eyes of the protagonist, or narrator. All other characters must be introduced through them, which means if they are running off and doing something behind the character's back, the protagonist must at least have an inkling of such behaviour. Right? I mean, I am not that old and thus my perception of writing isn't that old-fashioned, is it? Because ‘Dead Lovely', the first novel by Aussie/Scot Helen Fitzgerald (Arena/Allen & Unwin, 2007) doesn't seem to care about such rules. And that made me kind of mad, because still I was drawn to the novel's conclusion.
‘Dead Lovely' follows Krissie Donald, who from the outset is far from your average nice girl. We immediately know she has had an affair with her best friend's husband, and that she has then killed said friend, Sarah Morgan, and dragged her body across a series of rocks to bury. Then we have a flashback to an earlier time when she shags a random stranger whilst on ecstasy and falls pregnant (And for the record, Helen and editors, you do not have a hangover after taking ‘pills', you have a come down). A perfect, flawed character – good for a lot of development, and fun to play around with. Right? Add in a few other contrasts – Krissie is a child welfare worker who suffers postnatal depression when her baby is born, takes to alcohol and becomes the type of parent she's always saving children from; her best friend Sarah has being trying to have a child with her husband for years and thinks it most unfair Krissie was just randomly inseminated; and so on. There, you have a story.
Then what's so wrong? Well, the character of Krissie is revealed through a first person perspective for the first four chapters. Then it suddenly shifts to a first/third person blend. Then it continues in a pattern that has any chapter about Krissie in first person and all other character involved in third person. Make sense? No, it does not. It makes me very angry at the heads of Arena/Allen & Unwin to let such a big flaw slide. Because the story should either be told one way or the other. There is no reason it cannot all be in third person perspective – it would lose no drama at all, and the inner thought could still be conveyed aptly. Am I being pithy? You tell me.
The other quirk of this novel is that it starts off like a dark horror or crime novel (it is being marketed as a Crime Thriller), but then really just sits on the borderline of darker chic-lit. You are aware of the crime (Krissie thinking she has killed Sarah) immediately, and are then taken through a back-story with attached flashbacks (every paragraph seemed to have a flashback, like I was watching a ‘Family Guy' cartoon). The character of Sarah does help to make the novel quite dark towards the end though, without giving too much away. Let's just say she becomes quite the enraged woman; and this possibly saves the novel.
Perhaps I continued reading because Krissie is so flawed yet so human – Helen Fitzgerald includes lots of everyday thoughts and situations that even a male like myself could relate to, either on a personal level or through people I know. You want to keep on reading to see what Krissie will do, especially after she accidentally pushes Sarah off a cliff, and although much of the novel is predictable you feel rewarded the same by reaching such moments.
I think that if Helen Fitzgerald takes a few more writing lessons (in perspectives), her following novels will be ones to look out for. Helen is currently at work on her third novel, and they do indeed sound dark, so I will probably read them. Yes I have picked her novel apart but it is still an entertaining read, the language flowing quite effortlessly. I think that really I am more disappointed with her editors. And they may hate me now – but I challenge them to explain whether my views are archaic or justified.
the novel
Helen Fitzgerald's 'Dead Lovely' (Arena/Allen & Unwin, 2008) - Crime Thriller
