Bellman & Black by Diane
Setterfield
Rooks never forget. The death of a rook at the hands of a young
boy, William Bellman, with a catapult (what I know as a slingshot) is quickly
forgotten by the boy, but that event seems to shape his entire life. William grows up to be a successful
businessman with a wonderful wife and family.
Yet one by one all those he loves dies and at each funeral he sees the
man in black. As his daughter lies in
bed dying William finally confronts the mysterious stranger in the graveyard
and a bargain is struck, and thereby is created, Bellman & Black.
If you read this blog on a
semi-regular basis you will know that I like weird and dark books. This one is quite weird and quite dark, yet
it still felt lacking in something to me.
I was compelled to keep reading and finish the story, but I was never
quite sure why things were happening as they were. Yes, I understand that the rooks as a whole
seemed to want revenge for their fallen brother, but it never really gelled for
me.
I enjoyed the writing style, and the descriptions of the businesses Bellman started and ran, but the storyline never really grabbed me like her previous novel, The Thirteenth Tale.
