When I finished the eleventh adventure of Faraday and Winter, Borrowed Light, by Graham Hurley, I was so distraught that I had to call a friend who had just read the book. It helped calm me down to talk to her (thank you Bobbie) because she felt the same way I did and it was fun to share the book and our feelings. This series and these characters are faves for both of us.
I would never give away an ending of a book, I hope, so I'll just say that I hadn't seen it coming. I thought the author played fair with me and I wasn't upset with him but the book was so powerful and I was so in tune with these characters that I could not accept the ending. In fact, at that point there was no way I could start to read another book because all I could do was moan and say omg, omg.
Having this experience made me think about authors who have made such an impact on me and so far I've only come up with two others in the past several years. One of those was J K Rowling and one was Louise Penny. I felt the same way when I finished The Brutal Telling as I did with Borrowed Light, and I sobbed my way through Bury Your Dead. I have never for a moment believed that Dumbledore is really dead. I have no answer why these authors impacted me so much except they are powerful writers and their characters are real people to me. If I were the only one who felt this way, I'd feel that I was a little weird writing that but fortunately I"m not the only one.
Needless to say I needed a comfort read after the Hurley discussion and so I chose the latest Ian Rutledge adventure, A Lonely Death, by Charles Todd. I thought this was one of the best in the series and it was a wonderful antidote for my sadness with the Hurley. I wonder if authors like to be considered comfort reads? Next thought to ponder.
Sally, you are welcome, the call did me good, too. I believe one needs to talk about a book which affects the reader so strongly! And this one certainly did, for me, also. This series by Graham Hurley is one I've loved from the first, and they just keep getting better...and the ending of this one....omg. Left me unable to even think, much less read! :-) And upset me so much, that after 24 hours I went back and re-read the ending, able to absorb it better and possibly able to go on. Though of course now it is very difficult to wait for the next (and sadly, last) one in the series.
ReplyDeleteAlso agree with your other two mentions. I have not read the newest Louise Penny book because the former one left me unable to go on, finally I am about ready...but reading your words makes me wonder....:-) And yes, after being totally enthralled and enchanted and believing and loving the Harry Potter life story, Dumbledore's end left a fairly bad taste in my mouth and I didn't appreciate the last one much. Good points, Sally.
To us readers, series (and at times even stand-alone) characters become so very real to us, we care about them, believe we are there with them during the books. Not always, but with certain series'/writers, yes indeed. And I never apologize any more for that, I believe good writing can do this, and there are some very good writers!
But this one left me stunned. Didn't read anything (and I'm a big reader) for about a day. Then I turned to something way different, had heard good things about...a new try for me, this one, The Prostitute's Ball by Stephen J. Cannell. And it suited me just fine, something totally different from Borrowed Light in place and in characters, and kept me entertained, wasn't too dark, just what I needed.
I'm not sure if authors like to be thought of as comfort reads....probably some of the cozy writers do, in fact heard them on a panel all agree, they like to be told that. And it's sort of hard to think of some of the less cozy writers as comfort reads---but I guess, to me they are. Crais, Connelly, Rankin, Robinson, even Denise Mina who in no way is comfortable in plot or characters. :-) I turn to them KNOWING I'll enjoy the read and the style, even if it's dark, after reading something that wasn't well written or entertaining or left me not knowing what to do next--but don't know if I'd turn towards a dark possibility after Borrowed Light...hmmm....I'd maybe turn toward Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series, it's always interesting and literate and full of vim and vigor and very enjoyable, but a wonderful palate cleanser after a bad read or one that was upsetting for whatever reason. To me, turning towards another writer we like, who though there will be some blood and murder probably won't be as stark or have something really bad, is okay; and if we tell the author that we turn to them knowing we love their work and need something we can count on, is a compliment. Another thing I sometimes do, after a hard read or one that didn't satisfy me, is to go to a short story anthology with several authors I trust and like, and that is sometimes a great reading palate cleanser for me, just one or three or whatever number of stories, short and to the point, and turning my mind several ways, fast, that sometimes helps make me ready for another book.
Glad to have shared the Hurley book reading time with you, Sally. Not one to read alone, imo.
Bobbie
Think we agree that it is a compliment to authors for their books to be thought of as comfort reads if it's for the right reasons. In this case I know the author and I know I'm going to like the plot and it won't be anything too far out, although who would have thought the Hurley would end like it did. I think it's a sense of the familiar for me.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to try the Cannell.