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The Death Of Donna Whalen (2010)

by Michael Winter(Favorite Author)

3.32 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

067006663X (ISBN13: 9780670066636)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

HAMISH HAMILTON CA

review 1: I abandoned the last Michael Winter novel I attempted very early, as his idiosyncratic use of apostrophes -- or non-use, I should say -- got on my nerves. He does the same thing in this book, but the subject and structure of this book make this style seem appropriate. It's a fast read because it's hard to put down, even if familiarity with the actual case (Winter has changed the names of the people involved, but otherwise derives much of his text directly from the evidence of a murder investigation and trial) means that you know what's going to happen right from the start.
review 2: Michael Winter has deliberately blurred the line between fiction and non-fiction in this book, making use of transcripts and testimonies to build a narrative that examines the circu... moremstances surrounding a notorious murder that occurred in St. John's, Nfld, and the subsequent conviction of the man police were convinced committed the crime. The Death of Donna Whalen is described in the publicity blurb as a "work of documentary fiction," and the narrative consists of third-person accounts from the point of view of the various players in this sorry drama. There is no doubt that Winter effectively draws the reader into an unsavoury world filled with criminals, addicts, drunks and liars. But does it make a good novel? Strangely, for a book about a murder, it is often tedious. The reader will find it tough going, trying to locate a coherent story in these sometimes contradictory, occasionally misleading accounts. And because none of the characters--including the victim--attract the reader's sympathy, the book remains emotionally inert. Michael Winter has attempted something different in this book and perhaps can be lauded for sheer audacity. But it's possible readers will be disappointed by the result. Short listed for the 2010 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. less

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