Devi Nair
š§ Listened in audio š¢ Narrated by Eva Kaminsky ā± Duration: 10 hours š·ļø Publisher: Recorded Books Inc. / Penguin Random House Australia š Published: January 23, 2024
I can't remember how this one landed on my radar. Maybe a forgotten book club recommendation? Either way, I'm so glad I pressed play on this brilliant meta premise, and that is what genuinely stood out for me in The Busy Body. Kemper Donovan plays with meta-narrative in a way that really pulled me into the story. The ghostwriter (deliberately nameless, and fascinatingly secretive about her identity) is telling the story in retrospect, occasionally commenting on how she would have said or acted differently in hindsight with the knowledge that she now possesses. That "if only I knew then" narrative layer gave the whole book a deliciously dramatic irony. You're reading a mystery, sure, but you're also watching someone process it in real time, looking back. That's such a clever device, and it worked beautifully in audio.
Dorothy Gibson is such an absolute force. I found myself deeply curious on who she might have been modeled after. A fiercely intelligent, politically independent woman with the kind of presence and gravitas, she ruled the pages she was on. Sharp, articulate, and much too human for the caricature she's become in the press, Dorothy feels like she could have walked out of a real-world campaign trail.
Eva Kaminsky's narration is pitch perfect. She captures both Dorothy's magnetic authority and the ghostwriter's quite observation. The twists kept coming, and I'll be honest, I figured out part of the mystery towards the end, but not nearly enough of it to feel smug about it. The rest genuinely caught me off-guard. If I had one gripe, it's the ghostwriter's ending. I won't say more, but let's just I had a different ending in mind for her, and closing that final chapter left me with a faint, specific disappointment. Not enough to sour me on the book, but enough to sit with me. Still, I'll absolutely be back for her next case without a second thought.
Would I recommend it? If you are a fan of cozy mysteries with literary backbone and a whodunit that actually delivers, this one belongs in your list. It's clever without being smug, warm without being saccharine, and twisty enough to earn its ending. Eva Kaminsky's narration brought the ghostwriter narration to life. The meta-narration alone makes this worth your attention.
š§ Listened in audio š¢ Narrated by Eva Kaminsky ā± Duration: 10 hours š·ļø Publisher: Recorded Books Inc. / Penguin Random House Australia š Published: January 23, 2024
I can't remember how this one landed on my radar. Maybe a forgotten book club recommendation? Either way, I'm so glad I pressed play on this brilliant meta premise, and that is what genuinely stood out for me in The Busy Body. Kemper Donovan plays with meta-narrative in a way that really pulled me into the story. The ghostwriter (deliberately nameless, and fascinatingly secretive about her identity) is telling the story in retrospect, occasionally commenting on how she would have said or acted differently in hindsight with the knowledge that she now possesses. That "if only I knew then" narrative layer gave the whole book a deliciously dramatic irony. You're reading a mystery, sure, but you're also watching someone process it in real time, looking back. That's such a clever device, and it worked beautifully in audio.
Dorothy Gibson is such an absolute force. I found myself deeply curious on who she might have been modeled after. A fiercely intelligent, politically independent woman with the kind of presence and gravitas, she ruled the pages she was on. Sharp, articulate, and much too human for the caricature she's become in the press, Dorothy feels like she could have walked out of a real-world campaign trail.
Eva Kaminsky's narration is pitch perfect. She captures both Dorothy's magnetic authority and the ghostwriter's quite observation. The twists kept coming, and I'll be honest, I figured out part of the mystery towards the end, but not nearly enough of it to feel smug about it. The rest genuinely caught me off-guard. If I had one gripe, it's the ghostwriter's ending. I won't say more, but let's just I had a different ending in mind for her, and closing that final chapter left me with a faint, specific disappointment. Not enough to sour me on the book, but enough to sit with me. Still, I'll absolutely be back for her next case without a second thought.
Would I recommend it? If you are a fan of cozy mysteries with literary backbone and a whodunit that actually delivers, this one belongs in your list. It's clever without being smug, warm without being saccharine, and twisty enough to earn its ending. Eva Kaminsky's narration brought the ghostwriter narration to life. The meta-narration alone makes this worth your attention.