Review: "The Dry," by Jane Harper
I'm pissed at myself - I worry that reading The Dry as my first book of the year means that every other novel I read in 2018 will be a disappointment in comparison... I consumed this book. One large bite, and oh so satisfying. Let's break it down. The hallmark of this book, the parts of it that make it work so well, really come down to two elements: the atmosphere, the pacing. The atmosphere. Much of the talk about this book revolves around the weather in the book. Jane Harper sets the tone from the first few pages in the prologue. It's hot. It's dry. There's a mega-drought going on, and you can feel the heat as you read. I could visualise the dryness anywhere the characters went. I could see the cracks in the ground, the waterless rivers. I could taste the dust in the air, the grit of it in my mouth. And at first, I thought the dry weather was just an interesting choice for the author to make for the atmosphere, but then she cleverly incorporates it into the climax of the novel. For a while, I thought perhaps the drought was simply a ruse, a smokescreen to fool the reader into thinking it had more to do with the story than it did. I was wrong. The weather is a character in itself in this book. Devious, patient, sitting quietly in the reeds waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Next, the pacing. This book should be taught in writing schools as a prime example on how to pace a story perfectly. Each chapter is approximately equal in length. Each chapter reveals something to us, a secret, a clue, perhaps a glimpse into a character's motive. Harper is a gifted storyteller, and a talented writer. Her sentences are clear and uncomplicated, straight to the point, and at times Hemingway-esque in their brevity. Take for example these two brief passages:
An uneasy weight settled in Falk's chest. He checked his watch. Seventeen hours. Then he was gone. Again. Thank God.
Falk plucked at his own shirt. It was the same one he'd worn to the funeral, and it was stiff from being rinsed out in the bathroom sink. It stuck under his arms. He went inside.
Other things I enjoyed. The main character Aaron Falk. Intelligent, yet flawed. Likeable, yet mysterious. Falk is a complex man, and Jane Harper created a character that I genuinely struggled to figure out. I look forward to reading more about him in her upcoming novel. And of course, I have to talk about the flash back technique Jane Harper employed throughout the story. It was an ingenious tool, really. We see glimpses into the past from various points of view, and with each, a tad bit more information is revealed. Without it, the story may not have worked, because so much of the plot hinges on what took place 20 years previously. So, using these flashbacks, Harper was able to tell the reader what she wouldn't have been able to if she'd stuck to a present day narrative; after all, there's only so much the main character can find out on their own, and the reader often needs to see more than the characters in the story. Nostalgia as a theme was a powerful weapon in this story. Falk, now living in the big city, has to return to the small town in which he grew up. And how many of us have thought about this happening to us in our lives, either with contempt or joy. Either way, there is a nostalgic feeling to thinking about your hometown. Old memories are dredged up, some of them having remained buried for years, and they aren't always pleasant. As is the case here with Falk... And of course, the ending. The ending is brilliant in that it doesn't quite give us a complete resolution. I want more. I want to reach into the pages and shake Falk, to show him what he just isn't quite seeing or understanding. Alas, such is life. You can't know everything about someone. Bonus points to the designers at the publishing house for choosing the cover art. The jacket art is eye catching, with the contrasting darkness of the sky and the bright yellows of the dry grass. I often feel that the look of a novel is just as important as what's inside. How a book looks matters, in my opinion, especially if you're an unknown author. You want people to pick up your book, and that's why cover art matters. This is an underappreciated component to publishing. In summary, my first book of 2018 was a big ol' hit! I recommend this book to all. Fantastic read. Onward.
