Tags
Book Review, Crime Fiction, Ireland, Irish writer, Police Procedural, Psychological Thriller, Tana French, The Likeness
“Ten thousand dollars at the drop of a hat. I’d give it all gladly if our lives could be like that” Lyrics, ‘Bob Dylan’s Dream
I’ve been working my way pretty compulsively through Tana French, Irish literary crime fiction writer’s books, since coming to her fourth book Broken Harbour, on the strength of two book reviewers blogs. Stand forth Fleur In Her World and Cleopatra Loves Books
Having just finished The Likeness, her second book, I’m reeling, punch drunk, from the emotional journey of this, which for sure must take part of its inspiration from Donna Tartt’s first explosive novel, The Secret History, but is nonetheless in no way derivative, and is all imbued with French’s own intelligence, style, and intricate character and plotting.
Cassie Maddox, the central detective of her gripping first novel, In The Woods, is still feeling the after-shocks of the crime she investigated. No longer in the Murder Squad, she has relocated to the quieter shores of the Domestic Violence Unit, and has begun a relationship with one of the detectives from the murder squad.
The Likeness does read as a stand-alone, for anyone who has not read In The Woods, and anything which the reader needs to know as background does get dripped into the story of this, as Cassie herself continues to come to terms with the events of In The Woods.
We learn something about her professional back-story, too – unfortunately, this is a major spoiler which I think the publishers chose to reveal, and it represents my major criticism of this book (not French’s fault) Cassie worked for a time a few years ago in Undercover Ops, infiltrating a drug ring. Her invented identity was that of a woman called Alexandra (Lexie) Madison. And then a body is found, in a derelict cottage, clearly a very recent murder victim. The wallet on the body shows the victim is called Lexie Madison. Running the identity through the police computer brings in the big gun of Undercover ops, Frank Mackey, who ran Cassie as Lexie. The shock is that this Lexie Madison is a double for the very much alive Cassie Maddox.
The dead Lexie was part of an elite group of 5 post-graduate students, close friends, living in a beautiful, decaying mansion, Whitethorn House, on the outskirts of Glenskehy, a small backwater in the Wicklow Mountains. Inevitably police interest centres initially on the others in the group, but their stories all stack up, and the group are united in their grief that one of theirs is dead. And there are other suspects, which link in to Ireland’s deep history going back through generations, and the tensions arising out of class and nationality – the working class and the peasantry of old Ireland, and the wealthy Anglo Irish landowners.
Irish history is firmly woven into all French’s novels.
So, an audacious plan is set in place (and I’m afraid it is the spoiler of the blurb itself) Cassie could go undercover again as Lexie. The pathology report shows that the woman in the derelict cottage died from a single stab wound which did not happen in the cottage itself, the woman had run from somewhere to the cottage, and bled to death there. Had she been discovered earlier, she might have survived.
The group (including the dead Lexie) were very much the golden, charismatic, bound together elite (and odd, skeletons in their backgrounds) of The Secret History. French adds something else into this however – there is very much a sense of the yearning, soulmate romance of deep friendship, above and beyond sexuality, the kind of friendship that arises in youth, and at the time seems as if it could last a lifetime. And in this book, it is centred as much on place as time. Even whilst within that place there is a kind of looking back to it, a ‘Lost Domaine/Grand Meaulnes’ quality. Cassie herself and Cassie taking on this second ‘Lexie Madison’ identity and the 4 others, is someone who longs for the powerful sense of belonging, of friendships as a more powerful bond than bloodkin, and a more powerful bond than the one-to-one of sexual partnership.
In the sitting room the piano is open, wood glowing chestnut and almost too bright to look at in the bars of sun, the breeze stirring the yellowed sheet music like a finger. The table is laid ready for us, five settings – the bone-china plates and the long-stemmed wineglasses, fresh-cut honeysuckle trailing from a crystal bowl – but the silverware has gone dim with tarnish and the heavy damask napkins are frilled with dust……Somewhere in the house, faint as a fingernail-flick at the edge of my hearing, there are sounds: a scuffle, whispers. It almost stops my heart. The others aren’t gone, I got it all wrong, somehow. They’re only hiding; they’re still here, for ever and ever
And that quote is as powerful a paean to memory, and the sense of our pasts almost within reach, as any I’ve read
This is indeed a long book (she shares that too, with Tartt!) – at nearly 700 pages, but the unravelling of the story, the careful and believable psychology of all the major characters, the tangles and twists of all the relationships, and, for Cassie herself, the weirdness of being herself-and-not-herself, the whole question of identity, arising when anyone is leading any kind of double life, is superlative. And there is also the fascination of the police procedural itself, and how individual police can marry their work functions, with who each of them is, individually.
Most of all – it is the wonderful, seductive quality of French’s writing, and a first person
narrator who grabs the reader and makes them as desperate to want the golden lads and lasses to be real, and unsullied as Cassie would like, because of her own yearning for lifelong soulmates, whilst at the same time, making us as needy of her fierce professional desire to solve that crime as she is. She (and we) know that there are two drives going on here, which may not be compatible
Lady Fancifull 
Thanks again for mentioning me. Your brilliant review had made me want to read this one again – I loved it the first time – so glad you share my admiration for this author.
I have one more to go now, (already downloaded) – number 3, and then I will be crossly stamping my foot muttering ‘get on with it Tana, we want number 6!!!!!
You so nearly had me – so nearly! And then you said 700 pages and Tartt in the same sentence… now I’ll have to go and lie down again! Maybe when my strength returns…
Oh I realised i was going to lose you with that – but it is Secret History Tartt, if that helps – and she never forgets she is writing in the Crime Fiction genre, either, so that does give a certain forward momentum. I’m hoping that the combination of Cleopatra and myself thrusting Tana French at you, you might surrender at some point
The TBR is too high at the moment, so I’ve added In the Woods to the wishlist instead. It’s amazing how much the wishlist has grown since I started exercising iron self-control over the TBR…
Fantastic review! I read this in March for Reading Ireland Month and loved it – like all French’s books. I know it was billed as a thriller/ crime novel, but I thought it was a real ode to that time in your life when you are young, idealistic and full of dreams.
Thanks Cathy. I really do think Tana French is a lit fic writer, writing about complex, real people, living their complex lives, and she happens to write using the crime fiction genre
It’s her complex and authentic characters and the nuances of relationships which I love. And the fact that her perpetrators are not cardboard cutout psychopaths but much more normal and somehow stray kind of understandably outside the safety of the lines. She’s been a great gift given to me by our bloggy community!
PS unsurprisingly as you pointed out, the ode to that time of dreams, idealism, youth and all that is extremely potent and nostalgic and it’s kind of hard to get free of the book, because she succeeds so well in taking the reader back into their own experiences, the ones that Dylan song evokes
I read this when it came out (like you, I haven’t read no 3 – Fathful Place, and the new one I’m keeping for my daughter and I to read together because of the teenage aspect to it) but I admit I struggled with the idea that no-one would notice it was a different person – that’s all I really recall; I’m sure French gets round this somehow (does she have memory loss, perhaps? I can’t remember, and it did irk me slightly as unbelievable…) Broken Harbour was the one that blew me away – I think I wrote a ridiculously long review of it – but it really creeped me out, completely. Isn’t it wonderful how we can pick up such super recommendations from each other? It was the blogging community that pushed me to hurry up and read Elly Griffiths – thank you all! I’m sure Cleo is guilty of increasing Amazon’s Kindle profits massively – and you, Lady F, are not far behind, for me anyway. Thank you all! (And by the way, super review – as ever!)
Thanks Crimeworm I kind of agree. – there us indeed a coincidence which has to be swallowed – but we all do have doubles, and French does provide working reasons to enable this to work. There is maybe one flaw / chance that the doubles are both in one smallish city at the same time and no one runs into ‘ the other double’ but that was kind of taking a back seat as she makes it work
I actually saw a newspaper article or something on the internet last week about people seeking out their doubles, and it was mind-blowing how similar they were! Actually think two of them were in Ireland, one in Dublin, one about an hour away. It actually made me think of this book. I’m going to have to read Faithful Place, then maybe this one again. In The Woods I remember well. I was hoping they would solve the original mystery but life’s never tied up so neatly! I’ve just been looking at the long list for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel Of The Year and seeing if I can read all those I haven’t read before July 1st. I have all eighteen, bar three (I’m thinking library), and I’ve already read a couple. What confuses me is some don’t seem that new – some of the authors have had other books out since! Doubtless there’ll be some “date released” rule. Have you tackled The Gracekeepers yet? Or will it wait until Tana French is done?!
You do know that it is THIS one which is number 2 – it continues with Cassie after In The Woods, and introduces the reader to the detective who I think gets centre stage in Faithful Place (Frank Mackay)
As far as Gracekeepers goes, sorry to say that only made ‘okay’, 3 stars from me, so it didn’t make the blog, which is 4 star minimum, warm recommendation in my book, at least. I would be interested in reading another by her, to see if what didn’t work for me in her writing got resolved. I did review it on Amazon, so you can find it, if interested, as I use the same name!
I’m holding myself off that last Tana French, like delaying the last chocolate in a delicious box! Also I have a couple of hefty non fictions ticking away on Vine. But when i get to it, I hope it is wonderful as it will have to last me until whenever book 6 gets published.
Oh, and btw Crimeworm, given our fascination with espionage – I think still on the Galley may be Simon Mawer, The Tightrope. I love Mawer’s fiction – this is a continuation of his last novel, The Girl Who Fell From The Sky (which I reviewed on here, back in the day) – second world war setting, SOE in occupied France. You could read The Tightrope, which continues in an elliptical fashion where the previous novel ended, but is really Cold War focus. I did decide to go back and re-read The Girl Who Fell From The Sky, so much of the ‘back-history’ was very strongly in my memory, as I’m reading Tightrope, glued to it.
Oh, thanks for that tip – did he also write a book called The Glass Room? It’s just I saw it in Mary’s Meals for 50p the other day and was in a quandary – I picked it up and put it down several times! May dash round to see if it’s still there but they “sell em cheap, sell em fast” in there, obviously, at that price. I’ll check out NG! I did tell you The Mask Of Dimitrios was a Waterstones Book Club title a month or so ago?
I’ve still got The Secret Place – and I’ve a copy for my daughter, as I thought she might appreciate the setting. It’s just Faithful Place missing – which in a conventional series would really irrritate me, but isn’t so important for the Murder Squad – although it is a tad niggly…I can see me checking it out on Kindle shortly! I do EXACTLY that – delay a couple of books, just in case we have to wait ages. I’ve a couple of Ruth Rendells for that reason. Her last book will be out in October, not a Wexford, just a straight Rendell (dash! No Vine!)
Speaking of Vine, won’t you have to speed-read these Amazon Vine titles what with the new rules? I’m v slow with non-fic – I’m not a fast reader anyway; I have to take everything in! I’ve just finished a Bernie Gunther for Philip Kerr for another blog, which has kept me going with little time for much else – especially when you’ve a deadline! It improved greatly. I thought the three or so I’d read of that series was enough, but I was enjoying it so much I bought the previous one (for 50p, of course! They all end up back there anyway!) I’ll check out your Gracekeepers review – sorry that didn’t work out for you – and look for that Simon Mawer. Is The Glass Room worth a read? I seem to remember it was well-received when it came out…Must look out for The Girl Who Fell From The Sky too (thank God Mr C can’t read this!!!)
The Glass Room was the first Mawer I discovered, and it’s exceptional. It’s reviewed on here, do a search! Not to mention hotfoot it to the charity shop! But because I borrowed it at the time from the library I might have got on a train to come North of the Border and got there before you….
I’m just going to the doctor’s, so I’ll pop in, and if it’s still there I’ll send it down to you once I’ve read it – you’d actually be doing me a favour because I could say to Mr C it’s not for me, it’s for someone else…!
That is so sweet…but you might well want to keep it as a re-read!
Blooming gone! I’m SURE it must’ve been there, as there was a slight break in the spine, so it wasn’t Waterstones, and all the other charity shops are at the other end of town (and as they charge £2+ a book, you can see why that one’s my favourite!) Books often reappear in there, so I’ll keep looking (I even ran in on my way TO the doc’s in case someone nabbed it in the half hour I’d be away! Obsessive or what?!) There was even a hardback copy of the new Harlan Cohen for £1 (The Stranger) I’ve learnt you have to basically go in every couple of days or you could miss…ANYTHING! (Put it on for The Tightrope, so it’s up to the NetGalley Gods now – I don’t know why they deserve a capital letter – maybe because I want a book? If I don’t get it they’re going back to lower case…they can be so arbitrary!)
Oh what bad luck crimeworm. Library? It was one of the ones on the Booker shortlist the year that Wolf Hall won, and certainly round here the libraries tend to buy the Bookers. I actually preferred this one, and A.S.Byatt’s The Children’s Book, and hoped one of them would be the winner. I got all 3 from the library.
Good thinking; I was actually going to head up in the next day or two (which is ridiculous, with my TBR pile, but you have to support them don’t you?!) I’ve got The Children’s Book, but I’m not sure about it – my friend, who generally reads anything, gave it to me saying she couldn’t get into it. So I thought, well if Polly can’t get through it, what hope do I have??! And keep your fingers crossed for The Tightrope for me! I think the Mary’s Meals secret is out, as every time I go in it’s busier and busier at the book part! I’ve got my eye on three of the Cazalet chronicles at the mo – one isn’t there, but I’ve got it, and I think four is missing. But they’re big books…I’d better get them before someone else does!
Absolutely (grab your Cazalet while you can) as it was dramatised on radion 4 in little snippets not that long ago, so no doubt any second hand copies will be hot cakes!
When I was a teenager I went through a phase of reading Elizabeth Jane Howard and Barbara Pym (who is apparently making a comeback!); they were terribly English and very appealing. Lots of cricket and curates and things we don’t have in Scotland!
Tana French is one of few contemporary crime authors whose books I buy to keep and re-read, so I’m delighted you thought so well of this one after reading her later – and I think stronger – books.
Well that, (keeping to re-read) was my intention after the tremendous Broken Harbour and The Secret Place. I did get In The Woods (the only 1 so far I 4, as opposed to 5, starred) from the library, but I may well source a well thumbed cheapie second hand or Kindle download if it is on any Kindle deal. I can certainly envisage re-reading her. I think that’s the big advantage where the ‘who dunnit’ is not really the central plank of the book, plus of course, her fine, fine writing – taking the journey again and looking at different aspects of the view you may not have noticed first time round, and re-appreciating the general landscape as you move through it.
I’ve not read anything by this author – mind you i don’t tend to read a lot of crime fiction. But you’ve given me an idea for something my mum would enjoy
Well, I don’t tend to be drawn specifically to the genre per se either, though there are writers within it I enjoy – and Tana French has clearly claimed me hook line and sinker
A gift of a story and so close to home – what some new authors dream of
There could be a category of books suitable for reading to one’s mate at bedtime, adhering to time-tested criteria and considerate of individual preferences. The Likeness worked for my wife and me. Police procedurals work generally, and in this one, Tana French brings an uncommon literary finesse to the genre. The compelling storyline tapped into the personal yearning you alluded to with the Dylan lyric. The novel was long, and what with the wife’s tendency to drift off into dreamland, our involvement with the book extended over many nights. We’re sure to be reading more of Tana French in the future. I thank you for your enticing review.
Thank you Richard
How nice to be read to, even if the listener does slip into slumber!