Coincidences
Jul. 8th, 2006 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starrcatI have been thinking a lot about coincidences in books recently. At Mayhem, Laura Lippman spoke in defense of them as there really would be very few books without any coincidences. And certainly they appear in life all the time.
In a cozy, the main coincidence is how the amateur sleuth gets involved in the first place. Very often the same is true in a thriller. If you can't accept that don't read the sub genres. But moving on after that, how many are acceptable. I was thinking about this after reading Lee Child's second Jack Reacher book. Jack Reacher reminds me of Indiana Jones in that he is ready for anything and can handle it. There is some basis for this in his history but I think he is above and beyond that.
But in the two Child's books that I have read there have been two major other coincidences and I think that is one too many. I am talking major, plot shifting coincidences not the minor kind of thing that happens all the time. SPOILER -
in the first book, Jack happens into a town just as there is a murder and is arrested for it. OK, that gets him involved and is acceptable. Second thing - anonymous victim turns out to be his brother who doesn’t live in the area and Jack hasn’t seen in years. Hard to swallow but take a deep gulp and move on. Next, corrupt town and police force identified by Jack with one unknown member - who just happens to be the out of towner they go to for help. We are now in the range of WTF?
Child is a real story teller and easy travel read for me but number and extent of the coincidences that he uses are bothersome.
And they say cozies are unrealistic!
In a cozy, the main coincidence is how the amateur sleuth gets involved in the first place. Very often the same is true in a thriller. If you can't accept that don't read the sub genres. But moving on after that, how many are acceptable. I was thinking about this after reading Lee Child's second Jack Reacher book. Jack Reacher reminds me of Indiana Jones in that he is ready for anything and can handle it. There is some basis for this in his history but I think he is above and beyond that.
But in the two Child's books that I have read there have been two major other coincidences and I think that is one too many. I am talking major, plot shifting coincidences not the minor kind of thing that happens all the time. SPOILER -
in the first book, Jack happens into a town just as there is a murder and is arrested for it. OK, that gets him involved and is acceptable. Second thing - anonymous victim turns out to be his brother who doesn’t live in the area and Jack hasn’t seen in years. Hard to swallow but take a deep gulp and move on. Next, corrupt town and police force identified by Jack with one unknown member - who just happens to be the out of towner they go to for help. We are now in the range of WTF?
Child is a real story teller and easy travel read for me but number and extent of the coincidences that he uses are bothersome.
And they say cozies are unrealistic!
