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The Informer: A Novel (2010)

by Craig Nova(Favorite Author)

3.1 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0307236935 (ISBN13: 9780307236937)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Crown

review 1: Interesting story focused around 2 women in pre-war Berlin. 1 a prostitute and the other a homicide cop. Well written in the sense that you can feel the city, smell it, sense the claustrophobic nature of an ever-increasing police state. I enjoyed the 2 main characters and the general story. The mood and the story itself are good. I do not get, however, the reviews that say how well written the entire book is. In fact, I was sure I was reading a translation into English from whatever language it was originally written in. Every character begins sentences with the word "why". Every character. In fact, much of the dialogue was lazily written. This is my main quibble with the book.The story started to tire near the end as well, as time and time again they think to themselves... more that this is where/when they will die. At first I felt this repetition helped to show their suffering and obsessive path towards their own individual demises. But after so many repetitions, it just got on my nerves.I did enjoy the story, though. The first few chapters completely hooked me. I also am glad I read this right after "In the Garden of the Beasts", a non-fiction account of the first American ambassador to Nazi Germany and that book sort of set the tone for this one.... that dark time just before everything changed.
review 2: Craig Nova's THE INFORMER is a haunting, evocative novel set in Berlin in the early 1930s. The story moves between three main characters: a disfigured prostitute named Gaelle; her physically handicaped pimp Felix; and Armina, a female police investigator who is trying to stop a serial killer who is preying on women. Set against the backdrop of pre-war Germany, there is an undeniable spookiness to the plot, which is greatly enhanced by Nova's vivid and sensual prose. The images--dead bodies, fight scenes, a greehouse filled with orchids--are stunning. This book is dark and foreboding, unpredictable, and highly engaging. less

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