A Fatal Grace is a crime fiction novel. This novel is the second book of the Inspector Gamache series, written by Louise Penny. Another murder has occurred in Three Pines during the annual Boxing Day curling match. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is called back to this little village which is now snow-covered. Armand Gamache has a challenge ahead of him; there are no witnesses and no clues despite the large crowd. Gamache discovers the victim has an extensive history of secrets and many enemies. He must decide who he can trust.
Plot
I much enjoyed this story’s plot. I found the murder crime was well thought out and well-elaborated compared to the first book in this series. When C.C de Poitiers got electrocuted, she was standing on a frozen lake watching a curling match. This accident made me curious about how the victim could be electrocuted on a lake. The murder is complex; however, it is well explained during the investigation. I also appreciated how Louise Penny included internal monologues of the characters, and it reveals how the characters feel and their thought processes.
I enjoyed how Penny included different subplots. For example, Penny introduced the murder in Montreal and the one in Three Pines. This left me wondering how the two crimes were interconnected. I enjoyed the storylines that included conflicts such as affairs, getting blackmailed, and trying to sabotage a career. The various stories within the larger plot created many rising actions, which essentially made me want to continue reading. Similar to the first novel Louise Penny kept me guessing until the end. Not just guessing, but Penny actually left me flabbergasted when she unveiled the murderer.
Character Development
I enjoyed how Louise Penny included the same characters as the first book within the series. It was less confusing because Penny had already introduced most of the characters. It was much easier to follow, and I didn’t need to go back to the beginning of the book to figure out who was who. If you are new to the series however, this novel might be a hard read because you don’t have all the information around all the characters.
Penny also makes the characters very realistic in this book. Gamache is the inspector who continuously attempts to see the good in people. Gamache is the sympathetic protagonist. C.C de Poitiers is an individual with many flaws and weaknesses. I enjoyed this because not everyone can be perfect in life. Penny also develops the characters in a way where we start to feel for them. For example, near the end of the novel, I felt empathy for Gamache and how much pressure he must have as a detective with a lot of responsibility. Also, due to making difficult decisions, some of the characters he trusts in the novel want to bring him down. I also appreciated how Agent Nichol comes back for this crime; we got a glimpse of what happened to her after being sent back to Montreal in the first book.
Themes / Symbolism
I believe that the theme of this book was perfectionism, particularly that nobody can achieve perfection no matter how hard they may try. This theme is seen throughout the novel when I discovered more about the victim, C.C de Poitiers. As a character, she strived for the perfection of life. She created a new philosophy and self-published a novel to gain money. However, she was very bitter and had anything but a perfect life. This imperfection is also demonstrated when Penny writes, “The chair was now out of alignment. She could feel a tension blossom in her chest. Damn him for deliberately annoying her like that […] C.C leaped out of bed and straightened the screaming chair, taking the opportunity to also move the telephone parallel to the edge of the desk.” (ch.3, p.67) This quote from the book demonstrates how the victim needed everything to be perfect and in place in her life. This exemplified traits or symptoms of OCD. She may have been struggling with her own imperfections. In this chapter, she talks poorly about Clara’s artwork, saying it was ugly. C.C de Poitier’s attitude toward others was flawed.
The Li-Bien ball (a glass ornament painted, by hand, on the inside) further solidifies the theme of perfectionism. The Li-Bien ball became one of the objects that encouraged C.C de Poitiers to create her philosophy of Li-Bien. The Li-Bien Ball, for C.C, was an object that inspired what would be an ideal life, to have a family and happiness. It was something special for C.C since it was the only thing she had to remind her of her mother.
Another theme I discovered was self-worth . The theme of self-worth is seen when Crie tries to prove herself to her parents. Penny writes, “No one ever saw her. It was the worst of all possible states, he knew, to never be noticed.” (ch.21, p.578) This quote describes how Crie must feel, unloved by her mother. During the book, she tries on multiple occasions to prove herself, at the church, during the play. It was never enough, though. Penny integrates subjects such as emotional and physical abuse of others. The search for self-worth was also demonstrated when, for the first time in 5 years, Crie participated in the school play. She wanted to prove to her mother that she was something in life. This is seen when Penny writes, “For the first time in her life Crie knew she was beautiful. And she knew, in just a few short minutes, her mother would think so too.” (Ch.2, p.41) Crie wanted to impress her mother to gain her approval and love. Without this, she felt worthless. I believe Penny is trying to demonstrate that we are worthy even if others don’t approve of the things we do.
Clara and the Three Graces’ artwork demonstrates imperfection. The imperfection is due to the crack in the art to let the light into the darkness. Clara states, “There’s a crack in everything.” (ch.21, p.603) which I believe means that not everyone can be perfect.
Writing Styles / Editing
I feel like the writing style hasn’t changed, and Penny still writes eloquently. This story is written from a third-person narrative point of view, and dialogue between the different characters allows for the plot to advance. I much enjoyed reading Penny’s work, and I did not find any spelling mistakes when reading. A novel that is poorly edited may become a distraction. I also appreciated how descriptive the writing was. I could imagine how things would look or smell in certain parts of the novel. This descriptive writing is demonstrated when Penny writes, “Inside the room smelled of wood smoke and industrial coffee in wet cardboard with a slight undercurrent of varnish and that musky aroma of old books.” (ch.14, p.385) An additional example of descriptive writing in this novel is when the novelist writes, “With each breath his nostrils froze shut and the air was like an ice pick in his sinuses, shooting pain through his forehead and making his eyes tear and freeze.” (ch.31, p.821). This quote is an excellent description of wintertime in Quebec. When it gets freezing outside, I know the feeling of the frozen air inside my nostrils all too well.
Entertainment
This novel held a great deal of entertainment value. It has many sub-plots leading to an exciting reading experience. Two murders and how the murder was committed were all so intriguing.
I also learned a lot about curling, which seemed like a boring sport, but with an explanation of the different terms, the skills (balance) required to play made me admire curling as a winter sport. I learned that the skip within a curling team is considered the team’s captain. (ch.17, p.457). I also learned that ‘clearing the house’ is a curling term where the opposing team’s “stone” shoots down the ice and hits as many of the rocks out of the house as possible. The house in curling is considered the “bulls’ eye,” the red rings painted on the ice. (Ch.17. p460-461).
I also recognized some anglophone vs francophone stereotypes. These stereotypes are seen when Penny writes, “Most Anglos, he’d noticed, didn’t like to raise their voices. Francophones were constantly gesturing and shouting and hugging. Beauvoir wasn’t sure why Anglos even had arms, except perhaps to carry all their money.” (ch.17, p.474). This excerpt is a stereotype of how English-speaking individuals in Quebec were a dominant working class. This increased francophone nationalism in Quebec. According to the Canadian encyclopedia, in 1961, the average salary of francophones was only two-thirds of that of an anglophone which validates the “carry all their money” comment from Beauvoir. This disparity between incomes has become less apparent since the quiet revolution (Donovan, 2019).
Conclusion
In conclusion, I thought the plot was well written, and adding different subplots , created more opportunities for cliff-hangers, which I enjoyed immensely. The writing style was descriptive and made me feel like I was walking through -26 degrees Celsius weather. It had great entertainment, and even a bit of humour was added by Penny when Clara is taking a bath from a bath bomb gifted by Peter’s mom. The characters were easier to follow during this book, and agent Nichol is reintroduced, which creates a great twist and potential future conflicts in the series. The themes were more complex, and certain touchy subjects were introduced, including emotional and physical abuse. Honestly, I was very passionate and satisfied with this book, it wasn’t a disappointment, and for me, it was better than the first book in the series. Therefore, I give this book a rating of 5/5.
References:
Donovan, P. (2019). English-speaking Quebecers. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/english-speaking-quebecer
Written by: Elisabeth McGovern
Edited by: Alexandre McGovern
Beginning to End Table Books 