The Bottom Line
Wit’s End by Karen Joy Fowler is a funny, quick-paced mystery novel about a woman who learns more about her family history by moving in with her godmother, a reclusive mystery writer. Fowler is best known for writing The Jane Austen Book Club, and her new novel is likely to entertain her loyal fans.
Pros
- The main character is very likable, and the book moves quickly.
- The mystery surrounding Rima’s parents and a local cult is fascinating.
Cons
- The emotional story Fowler is telling somehow doesn’t ever ring true or affect the reader.
Description
- Rima Lanisell is recovering from the loss of her parents and her younger brother.
- Rima moves in with her godmother, a famous mystery novelist named Addison Early.
- Addison's house is fully of spooky dollhouses that recreate the murders in her novels.
Guide Review - 'Wit's End' by Karen Joy Fowler
Rima Lanisell lost both her parents at a relatively young age, and when her brother is killed in a car accident, she decamps from Cleveland to her godmother’s house in California to regroup and learn more about her family history. Her godmother happens to be a world-renowned mystery writer whose relationship with Rima's father is cloaked in mystery.
Karen Joy Fowler strikes just the right balance between the emotional notes of Rima's grieving and loss with the more lighthearted passages on her quirky new housemates. A mystery runs through the novel as well, one that's weighty but not macabre.
Wit's End is chock full of quirky characters, novels within the novel, creepy dollhouses depicting murders, and cults. The plot ultimately isn't very memorable, but Wit's End is an enjoyable read.
