The Poe Shadow

By Matthew Pearl

A nonfiction theory couched in a fictional tale of mystery and conspiracy... this book was much larger in scope than I'd expected, and much more intelligently written.  So many threads have been pulled together that I was a little surprised that I was able to keep up with the different names, roles and theories about each character.

Not being an American, I haven't had much exposure to Poe and his works, so much of this was completely new to me, but it was fairly easy to pick up.  I assume that this story has been written with the same formal style that Poe himself used, and once I got used to the slightly slower atmosphere, it was really enjoyable.

The mystery itself was vague, which wasn't a bad thing, and the pace was both steady and surprising.  Set in the nineteenth century, there was quite a bit about proper etiquette and the do's and don't's of civilised society, which was interesting, but it didn't detract from the progress of the mystery itself.

I did feel that the climax of the book was separated from the mystery a little bit - Quentin's own fate was far more interesting to me than Poe's, by the end.

Rating: 3 out of 5 - would read another book by Pearl, but not sure if I would actively seek one out.
Date finished: 08/10/12

Edit: realised I'd managed to mess up the rating...