A Delightful Jigsaw Puzzle

                                                                           

Imagine a jigsaw puzzle composed of fascinating, intricate images, each so fully realized that it can be enjoyed for itself. But as you marvel at the individual pieces, you begin to notice tantalizing glimpses of how one might connect to another.

Kate Atkinson's Big Sky is just such a puzzle--though I didn't tin of it as such whilst reading. Her writing and characters are so compelling that I didn't slow down to ask question--too swept up in the stories.

Each puzzle piece has a story and each takes several turns as narrator. Foremost is Jackson Brodie--the protagonist of three or four earlier Atkinson novels. Ex-police detective, ex-husband, ex-lover, Brodie is a complex and endearing character, especially in his relationship with his son and his ex-lover's dog. 

But, wait! There're more. A pair of Polish girls, arriving in the UK in search of good jobs, only to fall prey to a sex-trafficking operation. A pair of diminutive and determined Detective Constables, following a very cold case dealing with a pedophile ring. There's Vince, and his golfing friends (not friend friends) Tommy, Andy, and dodgy lawyer Steve.

Crystal, Tommy's wife is a Barbie look-alike with a hidden past. Her stepson Harry is a lad of surprising depths. Throw in a third-rate comedian and a drag queen named Bunny and you've got the makings of a complex drama.

The shifts in point of view are so deftly done, one never gets lost. And seeing the same event through different eyes can lend great clarity.

As the pieces of the puzzle begin to click into place, the novel hurtles to a satisfying conclusion, with some of the most unlikely characters demonstrating surprising strength.

I stayed up till midnight to finish this one, unable to put it down.