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A review by ridgewaygirl
A Game for All the Family by Sophie Hannah
2.0
Sophie Hannah writes intense, convoluted novels centered around a woman who is involved in a crime (as a witness or participant or victim) but from an odd angle that make her seem delusional. Her main characters are often unpleasant or frantic, often doing things to make it hard for anyone to believe them. Here Hannah sticks to this blueprint, but she has done away with her usual counterpoint of the point of view of the detectives investigating the case.
Justine has left her fast-paced career and moved her family to rural Devon, hoping to do nothing but putter around the beautiful estate they've purchased, Speedwell House, while her husband travels and her daughter attends school. But even on the way to their new home, Justine is struck by an affinity for an unattractive house along a busy road. Soon after arriving, her daughter becomes distressed by the expulsion of another pupil and Justine begins receiving threatening phone calls from a woman who thinks Justine is called "Sandie."
A Game for All the Family is certainly as complex and odd as any of Hannah's other books. Justine is an unlikeable character, being arrogant and high-handed in her dealings with others. She's also prone to not doing basic things that most people would do in her circumstances, while reacting strongly to much smaller events. It's a stand-alone novel, with out the usual detectives to do the work of solving the crimes and puzzles, and this is a weakness. Since the only view the reader has is from the inside of a biased and erratic narrator, there's no way to ground the story in any sort of objectivity. And Justine is consumed with her own opinions and personal bugbears that I'm still not entirely certain what happened. And some of the reactions of the people around the main character make very little sense.
Still, this is a rare misfire by an author who has so far been reliable in her crime novels. I look forward to reading the next one, which I am relieved to see is once again balanced by the usual detectives.
Justine has left her fast-paced career and moved her family to rural Devon, hoping to do nothing but putter around the beautiful estate they've purchased, Speedwell House, while her husband travels and her daughter attends school. But even on the way to their new home, Justine is struck by an affinity for an unattractive house along a busy road. Soon after arriving, her daughter becomes distressed by the expulsion of another pupil and Justine begins receiving threatening phone calls from a woman who thinks Justine is called "Sandie."
A Game for All the Family is certainly as complex and odd as any of Hannah's other books. Justine is an unlikeable character, being arrogant and high-handed in her dealings with others. She's also prone to not doing basic things that most people would do in her circumstances, while reacting strongly to much smaller events. It's a stand-alone novel, with out the usual detectives to do the work of solving the crimes and puzzles, and this is a weakness. Since the only view the reader has is from the inside of a biased and erratic narrator, there's no way to ground the story in any sort of objectivity. And Justine is consumed with her own opinions and personal bugbears that I'm still not entirely certain what happened. And some of the reactions of the people around the main character make very little sense.
Still, this is a rare misfire by an author who has so far been reliable in her crime novels. I look forward to reading the next one, which I am relieved to see is once again balanced by the usual detectives.