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Publisher:
HarperCollins |
Release
Date: 2004 |
ISBN:
0066212960 |
Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: Advanced Reader Copy |
Buy
it at Amazon |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Mystery |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Carolyn Howard-Johnson |
Reviewer
Notes: Reviewer Carolyn Howard-Johnson, is the award-winning
author of This is the Place and Harkening: A Collection of Stories
Remembered. |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
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The Pearl River
By Sujata Massey
Overly-Designed
Mystery
Meets Commercial Expectations.
I
had heard the buzz about The Pearl Diver by Sujata Massey.
Because the protagonist is racially mixed I expected—even
though I knew this book was a mystery—that this new HarperCollins
release would be a candidate for my annual “Noble” Prize
list that MyShelf publishes each January. I do not automatically
disqualify genre fiction from consideration. Many romances, mysteries,
science fiction and others are also important works of literature
that sing a song with the language; that examine the human condition.
Though
The Pearl Diver is entertaining enough, the cast of characters
seems calculated to include a little of everything including the
biracial antiques expert, a “preppy” sort, some California
types, a sort of lapsed Jewish restaurateur, and more. Though the
grounding in this book is sufficient for a reader to learn something
new about a wide range of places—from Japan to our capital
city—it sometimes seems thin; the attempt at including cuisine
as a centerpiece feels contrived and a bit distracting in a time
when a new foodie-cum-laude slant to a novel almost guarantees success.
The
protagonist, Rei Shimura, is well-enough drawn but even in an early
scene when she is using a pregnancy testing kit on herself—certainly
a time that most women would have an emotional investment—we
feel no real passion, learn little about what makes her tick.. Diver
is a good mystery, capably written, well researched, and structured
creatively. The politics ring true for the time, as does the material
social scene that surrounds it. It’s just that this competent
author missed an opportunity at so much more. If you’re in
the mood for a mystery with a twist or two, one that might be read
in a couple of evenings, have at it. If one turns to the first page
expecting little more than light entertainment, a reader will have
a good time with The Pearl Diver.
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