{"id":321,"date":"2021-08-16T07:56:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T07:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/?p=321"},"modified":"2024-08-27T17:26:47","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T15:26:47","slug":"the-lost-man-by-jane-harper-book-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/minimal-kritikak.hu\/en\/2021\/08\/16\/the-lost-man-by-jane-harper-book-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lost Man by Jane Harper – Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"The<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Family Drama in Scorching Heat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To start, it\u2019s helpful to know that Australia is scorching hot. It\u2019s a wonder half the continent hasn\u2019t caught fire. Oh, wait\u2014it already has. Much like The Lost Man<\/em>, Jane Harper\u2019s first novel, The Dry<\/em>, was set against this intense heat. However, The Dry<\/em> turned out to be a fairly average crime novel (despite trying to present itself as more) and left me questioning whether I should bother reading anything else by her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But of course, I couldn\u2019t resist. (Damn curiosity!) And in the end, I didn\u2019t regret it. The Lost Man is definitely an improvement over its predecessor, though for a long time, you might not even realize you\u2019re reading a crime novel\u2014it’s unclear if a crime has even taken place\u2014or a leisurely paced family drama. In reality, it\u2019s a bit of both. Regardless of what it turns out to be, I can imagine that the slow pacing might eventually deter some readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australia’s Loneliest Man Investigates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The middle brother, who runs the family\u2019s vast property far away from anything\u2014except the desert\u2014is found dead in the middle of nowhere. He left his car behind. Now, anyone who abandons their car in a place where 45\u00b0C (113\u00b0F) isn\u2019t considered too hot is he is done for. Nathan, the LONELIEST PERSON in all of Australia and the estranged brother of the victim, doesn\u2019t exactly conduct an investigation; like the rest of the family, he\u2019s just trying to process the tragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

As the conversations unfold, family secrets and local ghost stories emerge, and snippets of information are revealed, keeping you curious enough to keep turning the pages of The Lost Man. These aren\u2019t huge revelations, and as a seasoned crime reader, you might pick up on which ones are meant to mislead you. But Jane Harper is skilled at dropping these hints\u2014a half-spoken sentence here, an old event seen in a new light, or a small contradiction\u2014that keep pushing Nathan, or the reader, forward, eager to finally understand why the ENTIRE town despises this man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exotic Setting and a Dozen Mysteries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, while The Lost Man might not appear as a crime novel on the surface, it really is one. The conversations with various family members and other characters don\u2019t necessarily turn anyone into a clear suspect, but there\u2019s always someone who starts to look more suspicious in Nathan’s or the reader’s eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I figured out everything by page 187\u2014who did it, how, and why. But damn it, I only got the \u201chow\u201d right. Still, I wasn\u2019t too disappointed. Even if the book lacks truly thrilling twists\u2014if a cow walking onto the road in front of your car counts as a major event\u2014The Lost Man has a certain everyday, homely charm. The exotic (and simultaneously bleak) setting, the ever-present mystery, and perhaps a growing sympathy for the decent Nathan elevate this book slightly above the \u201cjust okay\u201d category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rating: 7.5\/10<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Lost Man <\/em>by Jane Harper
340 pages, Hardcover
Published in 2019 by Flatiron Books<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Family Drama in Scorching Heat To start, it\u2019s helpful to know that Australia is scorching hot. It\u2019s a wonder half the continent hasn\u2019t caught fire. Oh, wait\u2014it already has. Much like The Lost Man, Jane Harper\u2019s first novel, The Dry, was set against this intense heat. However, The Dry turned out to be a fairly … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[193,194,25,163,13,192,150,55,32,83,39],"class_list":["post-321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book","tag-atmospheric","tag-character-driven","tag-crime","tag-domestic-thriller","tag-drama","tag-exotic-location","tag-family","tag-mystery","tag-psychological-thriller","tag-suspense","tag-thriller"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Lost Man by Jane Harper - Book Review - minimal-Critiques<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Family drama or crime novel? Maybe both? 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