Laura’s Rating: 2/5 Stars
This book was very underwhelming. Almost always, once I start a book, I have to finish it. I started reading this book back in 2016 and never finished it. I thought I had just gotten busy and I was determined to start from the beginning and finish the book this time. However, it was barely worth it and became more of a chore to check off of a to-do list.
The Analysis:
This book is LONG. Not only is it 456 pages, but it also feels excruciatingly long and drawn out. I was ready to be done with this book before I was even 2/3 of the way in. Also, maybe I’m missing something but it seems like the title is a terrible fit. Strike, the main character and detective is not the “Cuckoo”. In fact, “Cuckoo” is a nickname of the murder victim used by only one person in the whole book. What the calling of the cuckoo is, remains a mystery to me.
This book is written, under a pseudonym, by J.K. Rowling, who is obviously loved and adored for her writing. However, in this particular case, I could not stand certain aspects of her writing style. One of my English professors once told me that people often try too hard to write dialogue in a way that “sounds” like how the person would talk. That dialogue feels inauthentic, is hard to read, and can even be offensive. That was exactly the problem I had with many of the pieces of dialogue in The Cuckoo’s Calling. Many of the secondary characters, especially those who were minorities, seemed to have exaggerated, stereotypical speech patterns that felt off and were difficult to read. Rowling’s writing was also full of unnecessary, lengthy words. While I very much enjoy reading as a way to expand one’s vocabulary, the constant use of overly complex words to relay a basic point comes across as pretentious. It’s as if Rowling has to show off all the fancy words she has ever learned in an attempt to impress the reader. An example: the use of the word “exophthalmos” in order to convey that someone has bulging eyes.
The twists in this book never shocked me and instead of delivering a surprise or a thrill, each “reveal” only gave me a sense of relief that the plot had finally advanced again. Additionally, there is a lot of excess information and pointless side stories. I understand some good character development but it felt like pages and pages were wasted on Strike’s love life, which never becomes important or central to the plot. Finally, the end conclusion was impossible for the reader to come to until Strike explained all of the clues and conclusions he had deduced that were not shared up until that point. The redeeming qualities of this book include a few interesting characters (Strike, Guy Somé, Robin) and the desire to figure out what happened the night of Lula Landry’s death. The last 30% of the book finally did begin to grip me, but by then, any interest I had was eclipsed by my desire for the book to be over. If someone is looking for a good murder mystery or some hardboiled detective fiction, there are many other books I would recommend instead of this one.
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