Broken River

Another book I found on a “Best of” list which almost lived up to the hype. Starting with a double murder described in engaging prose, this novel drew me in and kept my attention throughout. The story has a fair amount of suspense, but it didn't turn into a “page turner” for me until near the end. What interested me was the description of the artistically minded family falling apart as they try to build a life in Upstate New York. Each of the family members is struggling to connect with the others and this builds as much tension as the way that the murder from the past increasingly weighs on the present.

The most curious character and the one who elevates this novel from a pure murder mystery into something deeper is the mysterious Observer. Acting as a type of omniscient narrator, this being hovers over the human characters' interactions. While some readers might find this narrative devise odd or even hokey, I think it adds layers to an otherwise run of the mill tale. Certainly a good choice for the “beach reading” genre.