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pegkerrRob and I are reading Robert Galbraith's The Cuckoo's Calling aloud to each other. (Because we want to do more stuff together, but face it, reading books is about all the poor guy is up for). I've read it before, but I didn't put together until today how effectively Rowling misdirects the reader. I always knew that was her speciality in the Harry Potter books, but it's REALLY used well here.
You're misdirected to think that the Cuckoo is Lula Landry. It is her nickname, after all, and what do we know about cuckoos? They are usually bigger than their unfortunate nestmates (Lula's height is repeatedly emphasized), and they are One of These Things Is Not Like the Others (Lula was a black girl adopted into a white family).
But if you think about it, you should know who the murderer is from just about the first encounter he has with Cormoran Strike. We have a family with three children, and we know from the beginning that two of them are dead. The cause of death, in fact, is due to a fall from a height. There is another related murder in the book, and it's the same M.O.: the murderer PUSHES people to their death. Just as a cuckoo pushes its nestmates to their death.
And the biggest narrative misdirection, of course, is that the murderer is the CLIENT. Can anyone think of other examples of that trick? I can think of an instance where the murderer is the detective, but that it's the client itself is quite a good trick.
Better yet, this means that Rowling/Galbraith actually gave away the identity of the murderer in the damn title of the book.
Mind blown.
That's awesome.
You're misdirected to think that the Cuckoo is Lula Landry. It is her nickname, after all, and what do we know about cuckoos? They are usually bigger than their unfortunate nestmates (Lula's height is repeatedly emphasized), and they are One of These Things Is Not Like the Others (Lula was a black girl adopted into a white family).
But if you think about it, you should know who the murderer is from just about the first encounter he has with Cormoran Strike. We have a family with three children, and we know from the beginning that two of them are dead. The cause of death, in fact, is due to a fall from a height. There is another related murder in the book, and it's the same M.O.: the murderer PUSHES people to their death. Just as a cuckoo pushes its nestmates to their death.
And the biggest narrative misdirection, of course, is that the murderer is the CLIENT. Can anyone think of other examples of that trick? I can think of an instance where the murderer is the detective, but that it's the client itself is quite a good trick.
Better yet, this means that Rowling/Galbraith actually gave away the identity of the murderer in the damn title of the book.
Mind blown.
That's awesome.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-09-06 01:04 pm (UTC)