What a book!
This standalone contemporary novel from the author of the Rowland Sinclair historical crime fiction series is not only incredibly intelligent but is also an astutely constructed mixture of genres, giving it appeal for readers of crime, thriller, contemporary mystery, as well as lovers of literature and the very process of writing itself.
The unclassifiable nature of the work makes it a challenge to write about—a very enjoyable challenge though. In some ways, it is a murder mystery gone wrong, in other ways it is an exploration of the consequences of a writer not being allowed or able to write; their protagonist ends up trapped, unable to escape without being “written out” of their corner.
In essence, the story is about crime writer Madeleine d’Leon and is the story of her writing a new character called Edward McGinnity who is, himself, a writer. Ned writes literature though and is, himself, writing a new novel about a crime writer by the name of Madeleine d’Leon. As Maddie writes Ned’s story and makes him the amateur sleuth in a murder mystery, Ned simultaneously writes Maddie’s story and makes her the protagonist in a literary portrait of a writer at work amongst the ruins of her marriage and her descent into apparent madness.
The two narratives are so perfectly and seamlessly synthesised that the (unaware) reader is not even able to notice the jumps from Madeleine writing Ned’s story to Ned writing Madeleine’s story and back again. The story of a writer writing about a writer who is also writing means that the novel actually contains a meta-narrative which, although complex in its construction, is stitched together so deftly by Gentill that it is easy to read and highly compelling.
The chapters are not used for anything as conspicuous as a shift in point of view but rather function as a moment for the reader to breathe amongst the increasing pace and growing sense of urgency as the narrative progresses. Point of view is controlled very carefully by Gentill and the shifts are invisible thanks to her skilful integration; as a reader, the changes in point of view are about as remarkable as changes in camera angle during a conversation between two characters in a film. Entirely camouflaged.
The characters are developed progressively and carefully by Gentill, though the meta nature of the book means the reader feels more like Madeleine is responsible for the development of Ned, and likewise Ned of Maddie. Gentill’s hand as the actual author of the book is amazingly invisible. This extra layer between the characters of the book and Gentill seems to serve as a clever way of stepping away from one’s characters and placing the decisions about their fate into the hands of someone else—in this case, into the hands of Maddie and Ned who write each other’s stories.
Crossing the Lines was the 2018 Ned Kelly Award Winner for Best Crime Fiction and reading the novel makes it incredibly clear why.
