Tecolote Book Club

My Problem With Murmur Lee

Miami Beach - March 2003

In general I enjoyed this book much more than Light On Snow. The presentation of the story is very original. The story is set in a native-Florida cultural milieu, and it portrays an angle on American Catholicism that most of us could identify with as catholics, regardless of place. A creative twist on the mystery of life after death is also very enjoyable. The book is reminiscent of the style of fiction writing currently very popular among certain Latin American novelists such as Isabelle Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, (whoever wrote Like Water for Chocolate) et. al. The characters were very much alive, albeit somewhat two-dimensional. Transgendered Edith Piaf was hilarious, ce n'est pas? On the downside, one will be hard-pressed to find a likable male character in the novel. The doctor comes closest, though the reader is often laughing at him, not with him. And I do have to wonder, could Murmur have really been that good?

posted by Anonymous @ 9:43 PM