Review of APRIL IN SPAIN
A world class writer clearly having fun ...
John Banville writes a very good mystery. He also writes a very good novel. He used to distinguish between the two with a nom de plume, reserving his real name for his long list of highly accomplished novels, often dark and very postmodern but beautifully written. This Banville eventually won the Booker for The Sea. While I recommend his prize-winning novel, his earlier efforts, ranging from The Book of Evidence to Eclipse, are even more interesting. These works are serious, stylish efforts that he will be remembered for. But, like Graham Greene and even JK Rowling, he was drawn into the mystery writing world. With his last two novels, Snow & April in Spain, Banville is out in the open as one of our best and maybe our most literate writer of mysteries. His plots are solid, but it is his characterizations and atmosphere that carry the day. It is all accomplished in a clean and restrained fashion with none of the overly noir, violent or sexual material that pulps a lot of other very good mystery and thriller writers. This is a good vacation book easily read on long flights and on big beds with lots of pillows.
April in Spain
John Banville
2021 320 pages