The Private Patient

One of the first books I read this year is "The Private Patient" by PD James. I loved the authors superb use of description and language. It was a classic English mystery with lots of details, good character development and good old-fashioned suspense. Other than a few questionable moral conclusions, this is a "clean" read. The book is full of great passages like this:

"No doubt in the city centre the "Winterfest" was being appropriately celebrated by the official municipal decorations, but in this less privileged highway the individual and uncoordinated efforts of the local shopkeepers and cafe owners, the rain-soaked lanterns and faded bunting, the swinging lights blinking from red to green to yellow, and the occasional meanly decorated Christmas tree seemed less a celebration than a desperate defence against despair. The faces of the shoppers seen through the rain-besmirched side windows of the car had the melting insubstantial look of disintegrating wraiths" (pg. 210).

I love writing like this! It is a treat to read such mastery of language, and the clever use of just the right word at the right moment to produce the perfect mental picture in your mind. The plot was interesting, full of investigative details, but not overly suspenseful or stressful. The ending was not completely surprising (but sometimes endings that are, make me feel as though I have been manipulated and tricked by the author), but the ending was not predictable either. I did not like the bleeding through of the author's own biases and prejudices. I prefer a book that does not reveal the authors particular views on society and morality (unless it is very subtle). At times the storyline seemed a thin excuse for the author to trail off on a particular view, but thankfully this did not happen often. For instance, there is the token gay couple---completely unnecessary to the plot, and the "religious" person is predictably pathetic. The main character has thrown out religion altogether. This is a common trend in British novels.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read. I have great respect for PD James' incredible mastery of language. It is a rare treat and one that very few authors today possess. The author is currently 88 years of age and this book was published in 2008. She has written 19 previous books and lives in London and Oxford.

I will be reading PD James' work again!