I think Larry Kinsman creates truly enjoyable literary products. Some time ago I reviewed his group of four novellas, A Well-Ordered Life and found them beautifully written, crisply edited, and nicely published. (The novellas were actually self-edited... no easy feat I’m sure.) I liked these enough that I picked up a copy of his earlier group of short stories, Water from the Moon and Other Love Stories. I was not in the least disappointed. For the latter, Mr. Kinsman won the Outstanding Emerging Writer 1994-1996 from the New Hampshire Writers Project. I think he certainly deserved it.
He has now written a novel, Birds of Prey. I confess I was concerned lest his earlier literary efforts proved so good that newer stuff might seem weaker. I need not have worried.
Birds of Prey more fully develops a fictional world created in one of the novellas, a place where most readers can identify, especially those of us living close to Boston. The protagonist, Sylvie Kaplan is a Boston police detective, well educated, upper middle-class, intelligent and bi-sexual. In the novella her lover is female. In the new novel her lover is male, he leaves her after just having adopted a young son and she is left to pick up the emotional wreckage of her life. Her life is made both easier and more complex by a (male) co-worker and potential lover.
Although Kinsman’s earlier writing featured many gay characters I never got the sense that his intended target audience was the gay community. His characters then, as now, were fully realized beings. He is clearly a mainstream writer.
Let me tell you what I liked about Birds of Prey…
The plots:… there are two, running parallel, one involving the serial murders of pairs of gay women, the second dealing with murders growing out of military-industrial espionage.
The characters:…all of them. Sylvie is complex yet real, cynical (maybe realistic is a better word), rational, loving, vulnerable…a real delight. The others with whom she deals in her workplace, her family, her friends… all are clearly defined. I was especially impressed with Kinsman’s ability to breathe life into a very minor character, and make him or her genuine in less than three sentences.
The narrative:.. crisp, clear, neither pretentious nor condescending. I really like the writing style.
The technique:..Here I was prepared to whine a bit. I have never liked writing in the first person present…but having completed the book I’ve grown more accepting. The viewpoint/tense works here surprisingly well.
The details:…It is oft said that “The devil’s in the details” and many a writer goofs in this area…not Kinsman. His details are sufficient to create the ambiance he wants, the depth of character he seeks and the reality of plot. In only one instance does his use of detail really annoy me…at two different places he over-delineates shopping lists…literally. I really don’t need to know exactly what Sylvie bought at the store for her first date cooking for a new boyfriend. Sylvie is far too involved with life to be so food-obsessed.
Now for what I didn’t like: Nothing…that is to say that I really had no complaints, concerns or other minor irritations (except as noted above).
I hope you'll read Birds of Prey. If you like detective stores you can’t help but like Sylvie. It’s too bad that Kinsman’s stuff is not released in paperback. I think his real audience lies there and paperback readers seldom will venture into hardcover territory. Alas they (and you) will be missing something!