One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
I might have gotten Let’s All Kill Constance by Ray Bradbury on a stoop, or at a library sale, or off a shelf in a coffee shop. I can’t remember. But I’m sure I picked it up bc of the author and I know I’ve had it for many years.
“It was a dark and stormy night….” The audacity of using this as the opening line isn’t taken lightly by the narrator, an author himself. When the storm blows in an old flame and a murder mystery, it’s our narrator’s duty to investigate.
I realize that I have never read any Ray Bradbury besides Farenheit 451, which is an amazing book (one I should probably reread soon). I have a few of his books in my to-be-read pile, the Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, but this is the first I’ve actually taken the time to read. I must say it’s not what I expected. Bradbury writes in a very stylized manner for this book, which is almost all in conversation. Set in 1960s California, every character has an individual dialect, but all speak in a halting, in-the-know manner that can be sometimes hard to follow. Since this is not a straight forward mystery and is a bit confusing in plot, the language makes it even more so. The chapters are extremely short, which, while they make you feel accomplished (I’ve read 6 chapters today! even though that’s only about 20 pages), makes the story even more broken up. The vagueness of story, constant switching of internal and external monologue and dialog, half expressed thoughts in both, and the strange speech patterns make this read a bit of a jumbled mess. The book’s saving grace is probably that it’s short and quick. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy this book, but it’s not one I’ll think too much on or ever pick up again, I think. Sometimes an avant garde style of writing will grab the reader, entice them into a different world, but I found this book too confusing to really dwell on. That being said, I would recommend this book for those who like quick mysteries, odd writing styles, Ray Bradbury novels, or books set in California.
Have you read this book? Have a different take on it than I do? Share your thoughts in the comments.