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Pen & Ink

Reviews

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When I began Kate Atkinson’s latest release, Transcription, I went into the read expecting a gripping thriller set against the backdrop of the Second World War and the jaded decade following it. Instead, the author has written a thought-provoking drama that is peppered with sinister intrigue but filled with linguistic and historical gems.

The pacing is uneven throughout the book, with bouts of intrigue followed by long sections that dragged. The protagonist’s naiveté and romanticism come across as foolish and at times her characterizations struck me as inconsistent. The cast of characters was too vast to keep track of at times, and the transitions between time periods were jarring and clunky.

That said, Atkinson’s prose is impeccable. Her writing is elegant and intelligent, lyrical and insightful. Her scene setting brings the London of the war and the immediate post-war era to vivid life on the page. The wry humour and clever observations that fill the story are witty and astute, and the poignancy and humanity of the tale caught me by surprise.

Based on an actual MI5 operation during WWII, Atkinson’s work is impeccably researched, and the author’s own interest in the subject shines through in her attention to detail. Idealism and reality, nationalism and patriotism, betrayal and loyalty are explored with an adroit pen.

If this had been marketed as literary fiction, I would have had more patience with the read and with the lack of drive in the plot. Since it was labeled a historical thriller, though, my expectations for a riveting, thoroughly engaging tale were not entirely met. While Transcription was not the read I expected, it was a beautiful piece of literary fiction that was perhaps a more authentic spy novel—filled with deception, questions of identity and cause, and far-reaching consequences—than the usual action thriller.

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