Good Reads / Community Library Notes
The Final Solution; A Story of Detection
Michael Chabon
Review by Priscilla Comen
The Final Solution; A Story of Detection
Michael Chabon
Review by Priscilla Comen
The Final Solution; A Story of Detection, by Michael Chabon, is a classic 19th century detective story. It won the Aga Khan prize for fiction. Chabon also won the Pulitzer prize for the Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. This one is a delightful short story of a nine year old German Jewish boy, Linus, and his parrot, Bruno. Bruno speaks numbers in German, and we wonder what they mean. We also meet Mr. and Mrs. Panicker, Mr. Kalb, an 89 year old former inspector, and Constable Quint.
The victim, who died from being struck on the head from behind, was Shane, a lodger at the Panicker’s rooms. Reggie, the Panicker’s son, is arrested. Reggie is brought from his cell and looks as if he was beaten. The old man accuses him of having stolen the parrot to sell to Mr. Black in order to pay Reggie's debt to Fatty Hodges. Reggie is astounded. How did the old man know about his debt? Reggie tells them they should look at Parkins, their oldest lodger who jotted every number in his little book that the parrot screamed.
The old man becomes more interested. His bees call to him to harvest their honey. The queen bee stings Linus and the old man pulls the barb out. Linus helps the old man harvest the honey, and afterwards cannot find his notepad. He writes a note on the back of a card from Mr. Jos Black, dealer in rare birds. The plot thickens.
The old man decides to go to London immediately. The trains are packed with soldiers and supplies, so the old man hops in the old car with Mr. Panicker who was escaping from his wife. Panicker had been thinking of killing Shane, the lodger, who had been flirting with Mrs Panicker. Instead, he has fled. He agrees to help the old man find Bruno, the parrot. In London, the old man is astonished by the American soldiers, American cars and films being shown and by the new buildings built by Churchill. They head for Club Row. But Mr. Black’s shop is closed..
Will they find Bruno? What did the numbers mean? Were they a secret German code? Will Linus get to keep the parrot? Throughout the book appear wonderful black and white drawings of people by Jan Ryan. Find this mystery of the 21st century from the 19th century in the fiction room with Chabon’s other fine books at your Mendocino Community Library.
The victim, who died from being struck on the head from behind, was Shane, a lodger at the Panicker’s rooms. Reggie, the Panicker’s son, is arrested. Reggie is brought from his cell and looks as if he was beaten. The old man accuses him of having stolen the parrot to sell to Mr. Black in order to pay Reggie's debt to Fatty Hodges. Reggie is astounded. How did the old man know about his debt? Reggie tells them they should look at Parkins, their oldest lodger who jotted every number in his little book that the parrot screamed.
The old man becomes more interested. His bees call to him to harvest their honey. The queen bee stings Linus and the old man pulls the barb out. Linus helps the old man harvest the honey, and afterwards cannot find his notepad. He writes a note on the back of a card from Mr. Jos Black, dealer in rare birds. The plot thickens.
The old man decides to go to London immediately. The trains are packed with soldiers and supplies, so the old man hops in the old car with Mr. Panicker who was escaping from his wife. Panicker had been thinking of killing Shane, the lodger, who had been flirting with Mrs Panicker. Instead, he has fled. He agrees to help the old man find Bruno, the parrot. In London, the old man is astonished by the American soldiers, American cars and films being shown and by the new buildings built by Churchill. They head for Club Row. But Mr. Black’s shop is closed..
Will they find Bruno? What did the numbers mean? Were they a secret German code? Will Linus get to keep the parrot? Throughout the book appear wonderful black and white drawings of people by Jan Ryan. Find this mystery of the 21st century from the 19th century in the fiction room with Chabon’s other fine books at your Mendocino Community Library.