It’s the When

Our mystery/ suspense book group at One More Page Books travelled to the wild and woolly Shetland Islands, an archipelago of Scotland, via Ann Cleeves’ award-winning mystery Raven Black. Set in modern day, Raven Black introduces a host of characters that can be divided into outsiders and long-time residences of this windy peat-bogged island. One of our members said she was constantly cold reading this book, so it’s a good read our muggy DC weather.

The murder victim is a young newcomer to the island, who’s making a film about the place and its inhabitants. From what the reader learns about this film, it will not be a flattering portrait of the community. What documentary ever is?

While I found the book a bit slow to start, the middle gained momentum. Yet the resolution, though logical and surprising, was a letdown. Asked if anyone wanted to read more of this series, most of our members said no. What keeps us wanting more as readers? Or a better question, what makes readers close the door on a set of characters and setting?

Setting is key for me. By that I don’t mean where the story takes place; I mean its when, the time the story takes place. I love the 30s and 40s until V-E Day. Reading about this era allows me a glimpse into my parents’ lives before I came into the world and met them.

In the late spring of 1944, my mother left her home in Southwest Virginia for the first time to work as a government girl in D.C. My dad, a young Marine who had been on Pearl the day of the attack, was stationed at Quantico. I see their lives as lines on a graph that intersect on a Pennsylvania Avenue streetcar on Sunday, June 18, 1944. According to the pair, the war years made them feel more alive than any before or after. Reading about this time resurrects them, so I can hold them close once more.