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Did she really believe repeating rabbit, rabbit, rabbit made a difference? No. Of course not. How could she? It was a silly superstition. There was nothing actually magical about those words. Where did it even come from anyway? And why “rabbit”? When Chief Inspector Armand Gamache first had Jean-Guy Beauvoir in his sights, Jean-Guy was a green, arrogant young man although Armand could see something in him that he wanted to nurture. The first case they worked together was a horrific one - the abuse of two young children and the death of their mother. Now, all those years later, those two young people were in Three Pines and Armand was uneasy. But it was when a long hidden room was discovered, one that had been hidden for one hundred and fifty years, that events in the lives of the Three Pines villagers, as well as Armand, Jean-Guy and the Surete du Quebec investigators, changed. I have a rule: I don't give 5 stars to series books. If a book is part of a larger series, I believe it needs to be judged on its merits and that of its fellow books. The highest I will go is 4.5 stars. But he, of course, did none of those things. Instead, with immense stillness, he continued to stare. To take in every detail. What could be seen, and what could not.
The World of Curiosities (#18 of the Inspector Armand Gamache series) is kind of a tame and playful title for Louise Penny’s most disturbing and violent book. Bestialities might be a better word, truth in advertising. Early on in the series I read others refer to “twee” world-making: (The fictional!) Three Pines, a kind of haven against the horrors of the world, and we all wanted to move there and have Olivier and Gabry serve us amazing food and wine and Scotch and warm ourselves near their fire.
Book review
Second, the novel’s main antagonist, the serial killer Fleming, is imbued with too many contradictory characteristics. A religious fanatic, his initial imprisonment was for creating a seven-headed beast of Babylon by murdering and stitching together seven victims, yet his murder plan for Gamache is altogether areligious. That seems inconsistent. Additionally, Fleming isn’t charismatic or charming; he’s terrifying, and the novel describes both Gamache and Beauvoir’s feelings of horror in Fleming’s presence. The book characterizes Fleming, in jail, as simply radiating evil. Yet, he is able to pass for some time as the loving, kind, and wise minister of Three Pines’ local church, caring for and loving a dying wife. Nobody so much as says, “Yeah, I don’t like that guy” in the novel. He also seems to have unlimited funds and resources: How else are you able to have your entire identity in prison swapped with someone else’s so you can escape, leaving a trail of murder behind as you tie up loose ends and send your wife traveling as far as the UK to help set up your murder plan? Where does this money come from? How is he able to create totally new identities for himself? Finally, the reveal that Fleming is related to Fiona (but not Sam) doesn’t add anything to the plot or the characters, because ultimately that relationship is unrelated to the reasons he decides to target Gamache in the first place. As ever, my real interest in this novel is what lies beyond the plot and the characterisation. Louise Penny frequently introduces a key theme into her narrative to explore the darker side of human nature or to shine a light on a contemporary issue. In the past we’ve had jealousy, euthanasia, police corruption, prescription drug addiction and PTSD. It was a bleak day. The first of November. A wind blew in from the north, bringing with it the promise of rain. Perhaps sleet. Perhaps freezing rain. Even snow. There are a few other things that I think are worth critiquing, and be warned, spoilers are coming!
This is Louise Penny’s best book—and what sort of series writer throws in their best book as the 18th entry? Probably the most amazing thing, and I believe the reason this book is so phenomenal, is that it is a book that wasn’t supposed to exist. Penny had told her publishers that, after releasing two books in 2021, she would not release one in 2022. And then inspiration hit. holding on to resentments only binds you to the person you hate. You need to let go of it. For your own sake . . . Not anyone else's. For yourself.”William’s travels brought the world home, and Oxnead’s transformation was so dramatic and complete that Knyvett did not know if he would escape without undergoing some kind of transformation himself. Each anachronistic object is a message, a warning of a catastrophe with all the signs pointing to Gamache and his family as the target. This novel explores misogyny, nature vs. nurture, art history, and the long lasting effects of abuse. Penny has a way of taking fascinating historical facts and making them a part of the story, so that readers don't necessarily know they are learning something profound until one thinks things through in the end. And above all, this is a tale of family, friendship, and community. It's about finding the humanity in others and revealing yourself to them in return. Isn't that what most of us want in the end?
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