outside reading vi

Outside Reading VI-
a book review
by Scott Turow
Death Match
December 5, 2010.

Death Match, by Scott Turow, is a review of Adam Ross' book Mr. Peanut. Mr. Peanut is about a computer game designer who tires of his wife, kills her (death by peanuts, she's allergic), and the two policeman that try to prove his guilt. Incidentally, these two policemen are also experiencing marital discord. The novel follows them on their journey to discover why this man killed his wife, and what they can do to fix their own marriages.

Turow mainly critiques this book from a formalist view. He comments on the word choice and allusions that Ross creates in his book. For instance, he comments on how the policeman's name, Ward Hastroll, is an anagram for "'Lars Thorwald', the wife-killing villain in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rear Window'." He then draws similarities between the two characters. He also analyzes other characters' names, for instance, Mobius. He states, "Mobius’s very name, of course, invokes the inescapable repetitiveness of marriage, which can kill off relationships by inhibiting any opportunity for change." 

Turow also comments on this book, briefly, from a feminist point of view, stating that "The point of view in this novel is overwhelmingly male," and that the wives in the novel "all tend to be withholding."

Turow overall seems to like this book, though he does have a few complaints. For instance, he finds it confusing and states that "'Mr. Peanut' requires considerable decoding. This can be annoying." To illustrate his point as to how the book needs decoding, Turow uses a simile- "like going to a dinner party where all the guests seem bright and amiable but insist on speaking another language." Setting the confusion of the book against this simile was a very relateable and effective way to illustrate his point. Turow also comments on how some parts of the book seemed comical, describing someone's "Yoda-like counsel." While this comparison is saying that the advice might be cliché and overused, it also makes the reader think of Star Wars, and the many fantastical instances in the trilogy. This seems to somewhat discredit the plausibility and realness of Mr. Peanut. 

Though he has his complaints, Turow seemed to enjoy this book. He makes this point known using the power of three (placing three examples of something in succession.) For instance, he states "over all, the novel is an enormous success — forceful and involving, often deeply stirring and always impressively original.", and again at the end when he states "This is a brilliant, powerful, memorable book." Using this power of three, especially at the end when it's the last thing readers will remember, is a very effective way to drive the point home about how much he liked this book.