Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Great new Canadian novel about chemistry, philately and sisters

I just finished Sweetness at the bottom of the pie, by Alan Bradley (which won the Crime Writers Association's Debut Dagger in 2007). I thought I would simply pop by here to say how great it was. It's always especially thrilling when a Canadian title with hype lives up to it (hmm. That sounds awfully pessimistic, doesn't it? I'm not sure where that passive agressive hostility comes from....).

Anyway, it's great. Eleven year-old detective Flavia is charming, for starters, and I was left with the distinct feeling that I wanted to read more about her. What completely engrossed me, and left me wanting more, oddly, was her relationship with her sisters. Bradley did a lovely job of hinting at their love for each other (I can't give too much away, so stop wondering, already! Just trust me on this!) while, on the surface, they were all quite utterly hideous to each other. Poison ivy, chemically mixed into lipstick. That's all I'm saying.

Read it!

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