Ben Aaronovitch's Broken Homes

[shapinglight]

Just finished this book this morning. Was late for work as a consequence.

Spoilers behind cut.



Hoo-boy, this was a good one (and not marred by typos like the last one). I honestly wasn't expecting the bombshell moment at the end. Looking back, I can see there were hints dropped throughout the book that Lesley was very much not okay with what had happened to her face (who would be?), and that Peter's discomfort with her unmasked had increased her not okay-ness tenfold.

I really didn't think she'd ever do that, though, or at least not when she saw what the consequences were (by which I mean the Faceless Man using other women to practise facial modification on and then killing them to hide the evidence).

I love these books so much. The characters are great, the depiction of London in all its cosmopolitan glory is even greater, and I adore the whole thing about the personifications of the rivers etc, in the same way I loved Neil Gaiman's personification of stations on the Underground in Neverwhere. London has such a deep, deep history and Aaronovitch is mining it brilliantly (despite the typos), not to mention making the Metropolitan police seem almost loveable without hiding their faults at all.

He's also very good at dropping intriguing ideas into the story (like Nightingale's role in WW2), but only revealing what they are very slowly, so you're tantalised and want to come back for more. Speaking of which...

More soon please.

Comments

[rahirah]

I was spoiled for the ending, so the clues along the way jumped out at me. But even if I hadn't been, I think it would have been one of those twist endings that make you go "Oh, of course!" rather than "What the hell?" I do hope that Lesley's motives are mixed, but if they aren't, well, it's not like her circumstances wouldn't try a saint. That one scene where she asks Peter why, if the supernatural beings are beyond the law, they shouldn't be as well, says a lot about her frame of mind.

(I think a valid response to her question there, which Peter really didn't give, would be that just because a being is so powerful as to be effectively beyond the law doesn't mean that's a good state of affairs. Pragmatism may demand that they give the Rivers their way, just as they might have to defer to a powerful politician, but that doesn't make it right to do so.)

[shapinglight]

I'm glad I wasn't spoilered. I was honestly clueless and nearly jumped out of my chair when I got to that bit.

Looking back, though, it does all fit together. I suppose the Winter Witch either didn't know about Lesley's relationship with the Faceless Man, or didn't care, since it seems she was going to kill her along with Peter at the farm in Essex.

That one scene where she asks Peter why, if the supernatural beings are beyond the law, they shouldn't be as well, says a lot about her frame of mind.

I retrospect, definitely.

I hope Lesley's motives are mixed too. I really like the character. Another reason why it was such a shock. Not to mention her generally giving the impression up to now of being far more 'police' than Peter.

[gillo]

I loved it too, but I want more asap. It's a rough place to leave a reader...

[shapinglight]

It really is.

:stomps:

I want more now!

[fishsanwitt]

Is he the author of a book on London streets and rivers, with beautiful illustrations?

[shapinglight]

No, I'm afraid not. He's the author of a series of fantasy detective novels, in which the main character is apprentice to Britain's last officially sanctioned wizard.

[kassto.livejournal.com]

Is he the brother of David Aaronovitch who writes a column in The Times?

[shapinglight]

Yes, he's the baby of the family. There's another brother too, apparently - Owen Aaronovitch, who is an actor, and who I've never heard of.

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

I've worked with Ben. He wrote for a Dr Who I worked on. *g*

[shapinglight]

Hoorah! Is he nice?

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

He was okay. Used to be a bit of a slob visually. Every time i saw him it looked like he needed a damn good ironing! :D

He also used to love down the road from me, but has since moved away.

[shapinglight]

He looks pretty scruffy in the pic on Wikipedia.

I left you another comment on the latest post, btw.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Looking back, I can see there were hints dropped throughout the book

And what gets me is that when it happened, I could remember those hints, so I must have registered them at the time. Particularly her demand to the nightwitch that she check with her boss before killing them.

And given the devastation she has suffered, I wasn't surprised, once I got over the shock.

I really like her, though, so I am looking forward to seeing where BA takes her next.

I also wonder if we will see more of Abigail, in future, to compensate. She is a very engaging character, with a lot of potential.

I am not normally a fan of first person POV, but in this series it is very well done. Seeing all the characters through Peter's eyes (including himself) means that we have his blindnesses, but we still have to work for his insights by paying the same attention to the clues as he does.

[shapinglight]

Particularly her demand to the nightwitch that she check with her boss before killing them.

Yes, I knew I should look at that Essex scene again. There had to be a clue there that Lesley wouldn't expect the Faceless Man to just kill her.

I really like her, though, so I am looking forward to seeing where BA takes her next.

Me too.

Regarding Peter's first person POV, I think Aaronovitch is very good at hinting at his blindnesses through the medium of other characters. For instance, to me it's plain that he's actually in love with Lesley, but doesn't realise it, or that what has happened to her face has made him un-realise it. It's plain as plain in his scene with Beverley Brook, where he asks if she knows some way to help Lesley.

Wonder if there'll be a Peter/Beverley interlude now? Possibly not. Beverley won't want to be rebound girl, especially not when Peter won't acknowledge even to himself that there's something to rebound from.

[paratti.livejournal.com]

Definitely a fair plot twist and not a Gotcha.

[shapinglight]

I agree. You don't end up feeling cheated.