“If a narrative is going to be as clumsy as that, can’t it have some guns?”
Love crime fiction? Ever find yourself facing that pile of literary fiction that you intend to read, and reaching past it for the latest Jane Harper? Ever worry that you should be reading something more serious, more worthwhile?
I don’t. Neither does Clive.
In 2009, Clive James was reading Henry James and has finding it a bit … “turgid”. So he wrote an article for The New Yorker.It’s called “Blood on the Borders.” What we want in a book, he said, was
“An eventful narrative to make you read on.”
What about you?
Clive’s article is a cry for more good crime fiction.
“Something unputdownable to make you feel better about (neglecting) the unpickupable.”
He also recommends a few authors, and, while his focus is very male (and the article is ten years old) it’s worth a look. His writing is elegant and witty, and he’s found some great books.
JOANNA BAKER 