Kala by Colin Walsh - Review
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 лют 2024
- A review of Kala by Colin Walsh.
A gripping literary page-turner from a rising Irish talent in which former friends, estranged for twenty years, reckon with the terrifying events of the summer that changed their lives.
In the seaside village of Kinlough, on Ireland’s west coast, three old friends meet for the first time in years. They-Helen, Joe and Mush-were part of an original group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with motherless, reckless Kala Lanann at its white-hot center. But later that year, Kala disappeared without a trace. Now remains have been discovered in the woods-including a skull with a Polaroid photo tucked inside-and the town is both aghast and titillated at reopening this old wound.
On the eve of this gruesome discovery, Helen had reluctantly returned for her father’s wedding, the world-famous musician Joe had come home to dry out and reconnect with something authentic, and Mush had never left, too shattered by the events of that summer to venture beyond the counter of his mother’s café. But when two more girls go missing, they are forced to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala’s disappearance. Ultimately, they must do what others should have done before to stop the violent patterns of their town’s past repeating themselves once again.
In cracklingly vivid prose, Kala brilliantly examines the sometimes brutal costs of belonging, as well as the battle in the human heart between vengeance and forgiveness, despair and redemption.
Kala is the best debut novel i have read for many years, I have re read it several times and continue to impressed by the strong narrative and character development. The dialogue is sharp and brilliantly executed and I absolutely disagree with your comments about the character of Kala being under developed, I found her to be clearly and vividly written. She is a memory and Walsh brings her to life through the memories of the other characters, so you don't hear her internal voice, but still I could see her clearly and found her storyline incredibly moving. This is a brilliant piece of writing, I can't wait for his next novel.
Another great review! This book has been on my radar for some time. Really thoughtful discussion of the poor blending of two different styles of writing. I’ll probably read it eventually, but maybe not right away. Thanks for such insightful reviews.
I wish someone would look at me the way Roro looks at Kala in the thumbnail
If we ever meet...consider it done!
@@rororeads oh my! 😂
I read this and thought it was strong as a debut novel. Mush was my favorite character by far. It definitely went Scooby Doo towards the end! The mystery wasn't nearly as interesting as the characters.
I did enjoy learning about the flaws in each of the characters so the heavy character focus didn't bother me. I just got annoyed when towards the end people were putting themselves in dangerous situations unnecessarily.
oooh I have been hoping you’d review this at some point!👀📚✨
Small Mercies by Lehane is my favorite literary crime thriller set in the Irish neighborhood in Boston amid school desegregation policies. Secret History is an old favorite but then you probably already read it.
Agree 100% with your thoughts on this. I finished it last weekend and felt exactly the same. First 75% of the book I was on board with, the last 25% it all fell apart for me. I think that does boil down to it switching from literary to thriller, rather than actually blending them into 1 thing. It lost sight of all the characters towards the end, which was really what had kept me invested for the rest of the book.
Agree on Kala being almost anonymous as a character, although I chalked that up as everyone projecting their own needs onto her, and the end result being none of them really knew her at all. Not sure if I'm giving Walsh too much credit there though.
Reading at the moment. Kinlough is up the road from me. Its pronounced kin-lah or kin-lock :)
I really liked This sweet sickness by Highsmith
SPOILERS***
Cons: slow start, the reveal on Kalas conception blew by. None of the characters even cared. The villains reveal is also brushed over. This is a small town where everyone knows each other. I needed a page on the social fallout. The ending felt rushed, like Colin was tired.
Pros: Colin did an amazing job writing women. It’s a skill most male writers don’t have. I loved all the characters. Also the reveals!
Spoiler talk, i loved Dudley being the surprise villain. The hints were dropped when he beat Teabag with no fear of retaliation. I don’t get why he initially helped Helen by telling her the investigation was suspicious.
Also how did Kalas mother pass? Did she walk to the woods or was she forced out there? Why was Dudley chosen to replace Kalas grandfather? How do some cops like the ones at the hospital not know what’s happening? Blinkie thought he could sneak into Gers house and damage the twins’ bedroom without being heard?? Why did Dudley deal with Blinkie at all?
I wish Joe had realized on his own how strange it was that his father was so wealthy. Walsh sets up his arc as an arrogant self centered celebrity but he never learns to think of others. Noticing the income disparity would have been good.
Poor Mush. His arc was about being brave, he does, and is essentially a vegetable. I get it but it’s sad.
Yeah, i totally agree with you!! I also don't get why Dudley was helping Helen and why Fiona died outside.. but what I really didnt get was that Joe and Mush both saw a girl that really looked like Kala, but that was never explained? Was that just Kala's spirit floating around hahah?
@@sashavantwillert4695 right?! Also didn’t kala have a vision of older Mush telling her to run, or something? I think Walsh forgot he put that in?
@@Zikomo7 hmm i forgot that part, but could very well be possible.. idk maybe bc Mush 'really' saw and understood Kala (he tells Helen this at some point) and that is why he could warn her?¿? Also, this maybe sounds weird, but do you think Helen loved Kala? Like more than a friendship? And do you think Mush and Helen could've ended up together? Or were they really just really good friends that have been through a lot... idk ahhah i was kinda curious ab that
@@sashavantwillert4695I couldn’t tell what Colin was doing with Helen because she definitely sounded romantic towards both Kala and Mush. I THINK Colin is was trying to emphasize that Helen idolized Kala (like a celebrity, not a love interest), hence Mush’s rant about how neither Helen nor Joe actually saw how scared, vulnerable, and imperfect Kala actually was.
But with Mush there’s a lot of Helen chapters where she loves his smell and wants to be held by him. Again, it sounds romantic TO ME
But I also wondered if Mush was gay. Him attending girls sleepovers, wearing makeup, and that one line about how seeing the muscly bouncer “made him feel funny”. Idk
@@Zikomo7 yeah okay I agree, Helen probably saw Kala just as her idol. But for me Helen described Mush so much like someone with whom she felt so comfortable and how she liked his smell and so on... but yeah I also thought Mush must've been gay (or maybe asexual??) by how Mush felt much more comfortable in the girls group and never felt any romantic feelings for anyone. I think Mush and Helen would have been a good couple, but yeah they were probably just very good friends.
My favorite recent literary thriller was Antoine Wilson's Mouth to Mouth.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida was a great literary mystery, nit sure if you would have it as a thriller though...
Mysteries by Tana French
Based on the reviews, I was really looking forward to this book. I read it recently and was really disappointed (probably partially due to my expectations). It was too long (and I like long books). There were too many characters and too much drama. By the end, I didn’t care about any of them - I just wanted it to be over. (2 stars)
I don’t generally read thrillers, but just read The Blackhouse by Peter May for book club. I liked it more than expected. And now I keep thinking about it. It’s pretty dark, but did some things really well.