The Little Friend

This is not a murder mystery or crime story. Like Tartt's other books this is about wearing the skin of a young protagonist who is experiencing something deeply disturbing and how this protagonist deals with it. I have to admit, that compared to the Secret History and The Gold Finch, this is her least grabbing book. But it offers something else I very much liked which kept me going: It consists mostly of female characters. And not the gender typical stereotypes, but a great variety of strong women, angry women, funny women, nasty women, poor women, rich women, women struggling with mental health, flirty women, disillusioned women of various classes and ethnicity. How rare and what a pleasure! There are men as well in the book, but they are not automatically the strong ones, they are refreshingly multi layered as well, in their fears, suffering, anger, and hopes. In a way this is a feminist book. And a book that shows awareness of class struggle and racism without lecturing. I was tempted to give it 4 stars, but because I didn't find the story as breath taking as the other two mentioned above and I felt the way she included and portrayed the character of a down syndrome kid (felt too much like the Hollywood cliché / idle, but good to the core simpleton) it is 3 stars (rather 3.5) from me. Still well worth a read if you're interested in character studies rather than crime.

This book, to me, is quite simply the perfect novel. The story itself is great, the plot taking sudden and bizarre turns. The characters are believable, quirky. You can't help, if not outright liking some of these people, (and some are despicable) at least understanding what makes them tick... you get a vivid mental image of them, seeing directly into their hearts and minds. The writing itself is phenomenal, the imagery stunning and beautiful and immediate.

This is not a "who done it" mystery, so forget that. You will not find out who killed the brother. Nothing is wrapped up for you or resolved. The book ends and you're like Teddy Duchamps from the movie Stand By Me going "and then what?". But that's how life is sometimes, you just take it as it comes and enjoy the ride. What this IS is a coming of age story wherein the protagonist learns some painful truths about family, loyalty and lack thereof, and the limitations of not only others but more importantly herself.

This is a great story. This is a perfect piece of art.

READ IT!!!