“Ask any woman you're ever had a relationship with: I guarantee she knew she was second best. A placeholder, till the one you actually wanted came home.”
― Tana French, Faithful Place
One of the beauties of Tana French's writing is that each book is fresh: new narrator, new history, new setting and a new story. It is far from formulaic. For a change, I am reading a series in order, but this series can be read in any order because the stories do not build on one another, and commonality between the characters is tangential, not essential.
Another refreshing thing about French is that I have enjoyed each book in the series more than the last. The first was "The Likeness," which was almost gothic, and while the story kept me interested, it was a little too dark for me. "In The Woods" drew me into the story faster, and I loved how the main character's childhood was part of the mystery. Then, I started "Faithful Place" and immediately identified with the narrator.
If there were a common theme to French's books, it is that the detectives involved must travel to their own past to solve a mystery in the present, and in "Faithful," Frank Mackey must return to his estranged family to investigate the disappearance of his teenage sweetheart. Rosy disappeared on the night that she and Frank were heading from Dublin on the ferry to England. She never showed, and he found a note saying she was leaving. Now, 20-some years later, there is evidence that maybe Rosy didn't leave.
He heads to the family home on Faithful Place for a not-so-joyful reunion with his parents and brothers. Everyone catches up on what has happened in the past two decades, but the old rivalries and arguments haven't dissipated in that time. Frank also learns a lot about his neighborhood and family than he knew before, and some things start to fall into place.
His ex-wife with whom he shares custody of their daughter is also part of the story. In fact, the story begins with his weekend with his daughter interrupted by a frantic call from his sister. We find that this new family of wife and daughter that he forged completely separately from his birth family is more involved with the mystery than is first suspected.
But that is going a little too far, and in my efforts not to give spoilers I hope this little tease just make the book more tantalizing. Even though "The Likeness" did not turn me on to Tana French, I'm glad I decided to give her books another try. This one will have to go on the list for my roommate's reading.
His ex-wife with whom he shares custody of their daughter is also part of the story. In fact, the story begins with his weekend with his daughter interrupted by a frantic call from his sister. We find that this new family of wife and daughter that he forged completely separately from his birth family is more involved with the mystery than is first suspected.
But that is going a little too far, and in my efforts not to give spoilers I hope this little tease just make the book more tantalizing. Even though "The Likeness" did not turn me on to Tana French, I'm glad I decided to give her books another try. This one will have to go on the list for my roommate's reading.
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