Book Review
The Silkworm
An author wrote his own fate in his latest book
Rating: 3.75/5
“We don’t love each other; we love the idea we have of each other. Very few humans understand this or can bear to contemplate it. They have blind faith in their own powers of creation. All love, ultimately, is self-love.”
After Strike’s successful first endeavor, he embarks on a new journey in finding a missing novelist, Owen Quine, who had vanished without a trace after completing the manuscript of his latest novel. The author does this vanishing act frequently, but this time, it was different. In his latest book, Owen had written malicious content about everyone he knows. Furthermore, Strike finds the brutally mutilated body of the author, killed in a manner he described in his book.
Now, Strike has the responsibility of finding the killer and saving the writer's wife from being falsely accused of murder.
A gruesome tale of pride, jealousy, and vengeance.
Characters
Strike is introverted but brutally honest, and he hates social obligations. His past life memories haunt him frequently and because of that, he would get tangled in awkward situations. His memory was sharp as a knife and he read people's emotions, manipulates them to his advantage.
Robin playing a perfect sidekick tries to establish her skill through her work. She aches for Strike’s approval and expects a real detective job. Her love life with Michael hits rock bottom while she tries to balance both her job and a boyfriend.
Other characters in the story seem to be spoiled in one way or another and their presence creates a negative air. While plotting the main story, there was constant character building for the main characters.
Story
Once again, J.K Rowling’s writing was top-notch. She keeps the readers involved throughout the book. Every character related to the deceased has questionable activities surrounding them, which makes the story more interesting. Until the last chapter, the suspect list was wide open, which may frustrate some readers looking for some opening. But, the story never drifts away from the path staying in the original plot.
J.K Rowling had captured the elements which were lagging in her first novel. The plan of crime seems ingenious, involving intense painstaking efforts to commit an impossible murder. The protagonist who was looking desperately for clues had to exhaust his grey cells completely to concur with a motive.
The plot is creative, a writer depicting his own death and symbolism for characters showcases the author’s intention and expertise in writing.
Verdict
If a reader couldn’t find the killer until the author reveals it, a crime thriller had served its purpose. Silkworm had ticked off these boxes by giving the readers an engaging murder mystery.
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