Sunday, 30 June 2019

Kate Atkinson - Big Sky


Rating: 5/5

Review:
Another excellent instalment

I thoroughly enjoyed Big Sky. I confess that I struggle with much of Kate Atkinson’s work, but I love the Jackson Brodie series and this is possibly the best so far.

Jackson is older, still working as an investigator and living on the Yorkshire coast. He becomes embroiled in a police investigation into present-day people smuggling and sex-slavery and another linked investigation into historical child abuse – the second of which features the slightly surprising but very welcome return of a great character from When Will There Be Good News? It features Atkinson’s trademark brilliant character portraits (including Jackson, Julia and their son Nathan) with a poignant comparison of two very different teenagers who turn out not to be so very different beneath their respective facades. It is also a very engrossing story in which Atkinson manages to bring genuine compassion, insight and a fresh feel to topics which have featured very extensively in recent fiction and I was completely engrossed.

There is also a quite extensive coda to the main story, developing Jackson’s life, his relationship with Marlee and other aspect, too. I hope very much that we will get another episode in his saga before too long. The world needs more of Jackson Brodie’s dogged, decent, world-weary but ultimately hopeful brand of justice – and so do I. Warmly recommended.

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