A retired cop moved to a small town in Ireland. Of course, he’s not really processed anything about his previous life and rather than deal with his baggage he figures he better just start over elsewhere. New house, new person, right? When a problem is unearthed, he finds himself slipping into old patterns. Constantly finding himself unable but to insert himself into a situation he doesn’t completely understand.

Again, French produces something like contemporary upmarket fiction. It’s liminal and striking. She has her own pacing and fairly subversive themes. Usually critical of archetypes, like here. The foundation is put down so intentionally and methodically you can’t help but see the craftsmanship. And where other books like it couldn’t pull it off, every one of French’s books seem to hit some kind of sweet spot for me. It doesn’t feel literary. It’s got to be that weird upmarket thing you hear about. Right?

I just love how astute her fiction is regarding various forms of character people have. It’s articulated in a nuanced, often multi-faceted way. It’s prism fiction. Character driven. Adjacent to crime and mystery. Turning a flaw into the beating heart of the story. It’s competent, well executed, well delivered, and entirely it’s own thing, to my my mind.

I think it might be like paying for those question mark gift bags, except it always delivers. You have some expectations based on genre conventions and maybe having read her other works. But ultimately, you’re not getting that. But you like whatever the heck it is you took out the grab bag.