Character Flaws

Frankly, I do not know how Laura Lippman’s What the Dead Know managed to win any awards. Sure, her narrative is engaging, even clever at times, but what the text delivers in intrigue pales in comparison to the cluster eff of essentially pointless character views. And what a shame too, for some of Lippman’s best writing comes out of these character interactions. For instance (though even this could be argued as a bit of clichéd banter), the vulgar and offensive back and forth between Det. Kevin Infante and his boss, Sgt. Lenhardt, rings strikingly true. After a brief discussion on “rich cops,” the talk turns pseudo-sexual and Lenhardt calls Infante a “faggot and a whore,” at which point Infante leaves the office “feeling about as content as he ever did” (95). These details are (again) offensive but nevertheless effective, creating a believable scene that plays on male-male relations, as well as boss versus subordinate. Unfortunately, scenes such as these never pay off. Indeed, the character for whom the previously mentioned scene is a set-up for, former Det. Willoughby, is yet another dead end route Lippman pursues that, at the conclusion of the book, we are left to ponder over, asking indignantly “Why?”
Though it seems plausible that the former Detective for the Bethany case could offer some insight to the novel, what we receive instead is yet another buffer between Dave and Miriam. I should say, in case it seems I speak to harshly, that I didn’t hate the book. In fact, I quite enjoyed the character studies Lippman fronted for her readers. However, in this instance, there was simply too much to chew on.
The way I see it, there are two agreeable options for the improvement of this book: Lippman could have focused on fewer characters (perhaps Sunny/Heather, Infante, and one or both parents) and kept the narrative more plot oriented; or she could have kept the character studies and made the book twice as long, with Sunny suffering some sort of mental break (i.e., schizophrenia or the like), adding a plot twist or two. Then, again, what do I know? I mean, I’ve never won a book award.