The Lace Reader

I was so looking forward to reading Brunonia Barry's The Lace Reader after a couple of years reading reviews and fawning over the awesome book jacket description.  In short ....

 

Towner Whitney, native of Salem, Mass. is crazy.  Everyone knows it: she knows it, her lace-reading, oddball family knows it - ever since her sister's death, shrouded in mystery through most of the novel, Towner has landed herself in the hospital for injuries both physical and emotional.  The reader is transported through Towner's world, beyond hope of recovery and as dark as her nightmares, picking up the pieces of information Ms. Barry drops involving Towner's sister's death and the family history in Salem, all of which finally connect in the startling conclusion, when Towner's dreamlike past finally catches up with her - and us.

I loved the dark, swirling dreamworld and perspective ADD here that really make this novel stand out among mysteries.  The New England history, coupled with Ms. Barry's dreamworld of characters and events that may not be what they seem, coaxed me into reading further.  On the other hand, I have to admit that through almost every page in the beginning and middle of the novel, I wanted to put the book down and give up.  The book is very slow-paced, but without the build-up necessary to keep you reading into the night.  The reader does not learn any new information until about the last 100 pages, and for me that is way too late.  My mother says that if she doesn't enjoy the first 50 pages, she puts a book down - I myself continue reading if there is any reason whatsoever to keep going.  And I found that reason here, but the pay-off at the end is disappointing.  The lace-reading hardly factors into the real-world story, and the atmosphere of mystery that kept me reading the first 300 pages is wiped out in favor of a wannabe-satisfying ending.

There are many people who loved this book, and I wanted to love it too.  All things considered, I probably will give Ms. Barry's newest novel a try sometime and hope for the best, but I'm glad The Lace Reader is returnable (to the library, that is).