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A review by carolee
The Fat Innkeeper by Alan Russell
1.0
Since I have left such a low rating, I feel I should explain why. The author clearly has a worldview that infuses all his characters. I have never met as many judgmental, racist people as he fills these chapters with. Multiple characters use racist slurs against multiple races, gleefully share stereotypes, and have generally awful attitudes throughout.
The idea that a hotel, particularly a high-end one, would willingly sabotage the stay of convention-goers to “punish” them for their patronage is outlandish. This book felt like a catharsis for the author to get abhorrent content out on the page and then attribute it to the characters speaking.
I hope I am wrong about this, and/or that the author has either grown since then. Women are more than lust objects or damsels in distress, and knowing trivia about Japanese culture does not mean it’s okay to call Japanese characters by those terms as a matter of casual description.
I picked up this book because I like mysteries and live in San Diego, but I couldn’t begin to get past the thick coating of slime that covered most of the characters. I do not recommend this book.
The idea that a hotel, particularly a high-end one, would willingly sabotage the stay of convention-goers to “punish” them for their patronage is outlandish. This book felt like a catharsis for the author to get abhorrent content out on the page and then attribute it to the characters speaking.
I hope I am wrong about this, and/or that the author has either grown since then. Women are more than lust objects or damsels in distress, and knowing trivia about Japanese culture does not mean it’s okay to call Japanese characters by those terms as a matter of casual description.
I picked up this book because I like mysteries and live in San Diego, but I couldn’t begin to get past the thick coating of slime that covered most of the characters. I do not recommend this book.