Peter Heller’s new novel, The Painter, mixes murder and Art. The narrator is an artist who is best known for shooting a man in a bar. The painter is haunted by the murder of his daughter. When the painter confronts a man beating a horse, another dark plotline is set into motion. The Painter offers a twisty plot and a complex narrator to tell an unusual story. If you’re in the mood for something different, I suggest you read The Painter when it’s released on May 6th. GRADE: B
Sounds intriguing but a B is a fairly low grade for generous George. What put you off?
Patti, I had some problems with the ending of THE PAINTER. It’s still worth a look.
I was thinking the same thing, Patti–a B from George (at least on his blog, not sure about the classroom) isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. I did read Heller’s The Dog Stars, a post-apocalyptic novel about the aftermath of a flu-like virus that kills 90% of the population and I’d hazard a guess that The Painter contains a lot of “telling” instead of “showing”–The Dog Stars (which I liked, with reservations) certainly did.
Deb, you’re right about Heller’s “telling” instead of “showing” style. I liked THE PAINTER right up to the end. And then I was disappointed.
The plot of THE DOG STARS appeals a lot more to me than this one.
Jeff, I think THE DOG STARS is a better book than THE PAINTER.
You -and reading the book – lost me at “beating a horse”. Why on earth would I want to read about that, or about a character who does that?
Rick, the beating of the horse is a key element in the plot and provides some motivation to the narrator for has later actions.