"He was lost."
-- One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson.
Not a riveting opening sentence. But within a few paragraphs, we are right in the thick of things, with a random act of road rage that sets off the second Jackson Brodie mystery.
Kate Atkinson is brilliant. All the cliches apply to her -- a gimlet eye, tart observations, keen wit, etc., etc. She could write about a trip to the hardware store and it would be an exemplar of subtle, spot-on observations about human nature, contemporary culture, and family relationships.
My problem with Atkinson is that I don't want to "use up" her books, so I put off reading them. I have to remind myself that they aren't going anywhere. I can always read them again.
