June 9, 2013

Review: The Diviners by Libba Bray


The Diviners by Libba Bray
Published: 2012, Little, Brown and Company
Series: The Diviners, #1
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal, Historical Fiction
Source: Library book
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Some mornings, she'd wake and vow, Today, I will get it right. I won't be such an awful mess of a girl. I won't lose my temper or make unkind remarks. I won't go too far with a joke and feel the room go quiet with disapproval. I'll be good and kind and sensible and patient. The sort everyone loves. But by evening, her good intentions would have unraveled. She'd say the wrong thing or talk a little too loudly. She'd take a dare she shouldn't, just to be noticed. Perhaps Mabel was right, and she was selfish. But what was the point of living so quietly you made no noise at all? "Oh, Evie, you're too much," people said, and it wasn't complimentary. Yes, she was too much. She felt like too much inside all the time.

So why wasn't she ever enough? 
 

Residing in New York City in the 1920s is a dream come true for Evie O'Neill, who finds herself sent there as "punishment" for creating a scandal in her small Midwestern town. Evie's parents decided that the best way for Evie (and her town) to recover is to have Evie go away for a while and stay with her uncle. The glamorous life of New York City is just what Evie's been longing for, and she has plans to reunite with her childhood friend Mabel and wander the streets for parties, excitement, and any excuse to celebrate life.

Life in New York City doesn't turn out to be quite the party that Evie expects, however, as she deals with changing friendships, she is the subject of unfair stereotypes, and she becomes involved in a murder investigation unlike the City has ever seen. For this murderer has returned from the dead and has a specific agenda to advance, one that will literally bring Hell down upon Earth. As the curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, Evie's uncle becomes heavily involved in the investigation of these supernatural killings, and, as Evie learns about them right alongside him, she has a choice to make. She possesses powers that could help with the investigation, if she is allowed to help, and if she can bear learning the truth.

Is it possible to love a book without loving any of its characters? Not loving the protagonist is fine by me, but what about not feeling super strong or positive feelings towards any of the other characters as well? I'm not sure. As a character-driven reader myself, while I really liked The Diviners, I was not able to fall in love with it. I have never been a fan of multiple points of view, mostly because as I experience life from my sole perspective, I like to read books where a singular character is my gateway to this new world and story. I also worry that by focusing on many character perspectives, the author cannot flesh them out to quite the same degree as a story featuring one character's point of view. Although I do feel as though Evie, our protagonist, is very well characterized, I still wished for a singular narrator. By relying on a (large) handful of narrators, Bray's novel creates an expansive portrait of life in her fictionalized 1920s New York City, but I had difficulties really connecting with any of the characters and in remembering all of their discrete backgrounds and desires, except, perhaps, for Evie.

Evie is technically the protagonist and, had she narrated the entire book, I'm actually not sure I would have been able to finish it. Or I would have finished it, but not had a good reading experience overall. While Evie does possess admirable traits like loyalty, creativity, and determination, many times I found them to be overshadowed by her (many) less desirable traits, as she also tends to be impulsive, selfish, and downplay her intelligence and more serious qualities. And yet her superficial desires and decision to act out are presumably related to the pain her entire family bears in relation to her older brother's death in battle. A lot of Evie's actions make a ton of sense, seen in that light, which does help redeem her character somewhat in my eyes.

Although I'm not a fan of multiple perspectives, I found that the cast of characters made more and more sense as the story continued. In this book Bray has begun what appears to be an epic tale, one so much bigger than simply a story about a ghostly killer. Instead, readers can anticipate that the series is devoted to those characters who are actually referred to as "Diviners" for the magical qualities they possess. Naughty John's murders succeeded in bringing them all together in New York City, in contact with one another. Their recurring dreams have helped them recognize one another. And yet - they're not a team. There's no sense of shared purpose or cohesion among them, at least not yet. By the end of the novel, however, there's plenty of set up for how their powers will be needed in the future.

One aspect that makes the murder mystery rather unique is that readers know the murderer's identity from the beginning: Naughty John was summoned through a Ouija board, thus released from a sort of spiritual purgatory. Not only is his identity not a mystery, but Bray leaves her readers little mystery surrounding the murders themselves, as intermixed with the main narratives are chapters recounted by the victims of their meetings with (and untimely deaths due to) Naughty John. The suspense in The Diviners, therefore, isn't so much of a "who done it" but rather the suspense of knowing more than the main characters and being unable to hasten their discoveries.

Bray's writing style is a work of beauty. Fluid, poetic, and gorgeously descriptive. She details the scenes so well that it took very little effort on my part to be transported to various locations in 1920s New York City. While her attention to detail is incredibly impressive, at times it felt a bit much. One could even say the story is prone to excess, much like how society felt about the flapper culture. The Diviners is so rich in culture and language and historical facts that at times it became difficult to swallow all the information. And yet not any author can juxtapose the historical and supernatural convincingly as well as Bray does; it is far better to have simply too many details than too few.

The Diviners is a lengthy book, but the multiple points of view, many subplots, and intriguing mystery made the pages fly by. Bray is a talented writer, and, while I do not necessarily love these characters, I am invested in their stories and am curious to see the development of the idea of Diviners and their role in society. For anyone seeking a refreshingly unique and well-written work of historical fiction with a liberal twist of the paranormal, look no further.

Rating: 4 stars
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Amanda

Amanda loves few things better than sitting down with a cup of tea and a book. She frequently stays up far too late, telling herself she just needs to finish one more page. When she's not wrapped up in the stories of others, Amanda works as a children's librarian in a public library.

13 comments:

  1. I'm glad you enjoyed this one, despite a few qualms. I loved the aura Bray created with this and although I'm not a fan of multiple PoV's either, it worked really well for me in this. Though the multiple plot threads have me convinced I'll need a re-read before the sequel releases. Great review, Amanda! :)

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    1. Ooh yeah. I hope I do remember this enough to not have to re-read it before the sequel comes out. And I did think it was a pretty solid read - can't wait to see what happens next! Thanks, Keertana!

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  2. I definitely think it's possible to love a book without loving the characters! But I think only skilled writers can accomplish this. For example, I LOVE Fitzgerald's work despite the despicable characters. I never like any of them, but his books are among my favorites.

    I love the setting and the premise for this book, but I am a bit unsure about the multiple perspectives. Sometimes, this works for me. Other times, it completely ruins the book in my opinion. I definitely want to read this book, especially since I heard it can be creepy at times. I'm happy to hear the pages fly and that it's a fast-paced book despite its length. Wonderfully written!

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    1. I usually want *someone* to love though. Although I suppose I can get by with respect/empathy. I don't think a book full of characters I either respect/empathize with is going to get the highest praise from me, though. *shrugs* Maybe I'll be proven wrong. It can be a personal challenge of mine!

      I do think you'd enjoy this and honestly the perspectives did start making more and more sense as the story continued. And obviously you will love the whole ghost mystery. So go read it! :)

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  3. Despite having a few issues I'm glad you enjoyed this one. I'm not usually a fan of multiple POVs, but it's good to know that it worked here. I love a good mystery, so I don' know why I haven't read this one yet. Will have to bump it up on my tbr pile. Lovely review!

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    1. It did! It is a very well-done work of fiction, in my opinion and I do hope you're able to read it soon! Thank you!

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  4. Happy that you came out of this one enjoying it overall even though you did have your issues. Great, fair, honest review! Thanks for that!

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    1. Thank you, Jenni! I like pointing out my issues and aspects I loved in each book because it better helps me figure out my feelings. And they're definitely positive overall for this one. :)

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  5. Excellent review, Amanda! I am a huge fan of this book, the first of Bray's that I truly loved. I agree with your thoughts on Evie. Had the book been form her single pov, it would've been tough. I think her character does develop throughout, but her flaws outweigh her virtues, and it can be hard to totally root for a character like that. However, I really love the direction Bray seems to be taking us with Evie and all the characters.

    You're right, the feel of this book is epic and sweeping in scope, I am SO excited to see how all the pieces line up in the end.

    And the writing! Easily my favorite part of the novel. I didn't realize Bray had such a way with words. I was blown away:)

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    1. Thank you, Heather! And agreed. I am so interested in all the characters as a unit, as well as individually, an there haven't been many books where that happens. And I'm always a fan of beautiful writing!

      If you haven't read Bray's Gemma Doyle series yet, I'd recommend those. Also beautiful writing and a mix of historical/supernatural. I guess that's a theme in many of her books? I do love that aspect. :)

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    2. I read the 1st 2 books in the Gemma Doyle trilogy, and liked them well enough, but I feel like The Diviners BLEW THOSE BOOKS AWAY. I haven't read Beauty Queens or Going Bovine but really, really want to now:)I am SO impressed with Libba Bray!

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  6. I love a well written period book, and the 1920s fascinate me. I also like multiple POVS and a good and creepy mystery. I have had mixed feelings about this author's previous works and her characters. BUT this book has gotten consistently high reviews and I need to read it soon!

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    1. Me too! Except for the multiple POV thing. What else have you read by her? I've only read her Gemma Doyle series and I really enjoyed that. (And clearly she can write a good work of supernatural historical fiction between that series and this one). You do need to give this a try!

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