Pure by Andrew miller

This book has received glowing reviews and was awarded this years Costa Prize, as a result I had fairly high expectations when I started out and being a fan of literary fiction and a bit of a history buff I thought it would be a great read. However I have to say that I finished the book with a feeling of disappointment and that getting through was more of an uninteresting chore than a gripping read I raced through. Maybe part of my disappointment was due to unrealistic expectations but I can't help but think this just wasn't really a great choice for the Costa.

I'm not saying it was a bad book, it wasn't, and I think that had I come to it without any of the hype then perhaps I would have enjoyed it more, as it was I kept waiting for something exceptional which never materialised. It was very well written with beautifully constructed prose and obviously very well researched. The detail was intricate and convincing from the fashions to the smells of 18th century Parisian life and the subject matter was well chosen. However even with all this going for the book there was something missing. It felt like very little happened which considering that the plot included a rape, a murder and a suicide seems a little strange. There were lots of hints of things going on in the background which I kept expecting to intrude on the action but never did, like the subtle build up to the revolution. There is an obvious unrest in the city and anti government slogans appear painted on walls around the city, the French Revolution is such a rich subject and could have added a wonderful depth to the story but apart from these few hints Miller practically ignores it and it almost seems that most of the characters know nothing of the build up to revolution in this pivotal year.

The story of the demolition of the church and cemetery of Les Innocents is interesting and was a great choice for a novel but I don't think Miller uses it to its full potential. I would be interested to read some of his other historical fiction and see if this is a trend. All in all Pure is a good book but doesn't live up to its potential and it was not a good enough book to have won the Costa prize.