The Silkworm

Robert Galbraith

Sphere

R699

Pp 464

Robert Galbraith?s books are a classic case of the writer?s persona being bigger than the book, leaving readers undecided what to go for. JK Rowling claims the Cormoran Strike series of books enabled her to become a first-time author. Well, it couldn?t have been fun, considering that just as Rowling had to face several rejections with the first Harry Potter book, Galbraith?s The Cuckoo?s Calling was finally accepted by a publisher after numerous rounds of other offices.

Both of Galbraith?s books are bestsellers, but it is no coincidence that the first book shot up the charts after it was revealed that Galbraith was actually Rowling.

The Silkworm poses a weird dilemma before the readers: would it be as tepid as the first novel or has Rowling been able to wield some of her Potter skills? I would say it?s a bit unfair to the reader?knowing the book won?t be great, but not being able to miss a Rowling novel. What if the magic resurfaces?

Sadly, it hasn?t in The Silkworm, though the book is decidedly a better effort than The Cuckoo?s Calling. Rowling does it again by writing a long, meandering a story that has a long narrative, but is short on plot. The suspense isn?t strong, and the story is much like a maze puzzle on paper, where you can see the destination clearly, but the path is a long, convoluted one.

The Silkworm has Cormoran Strike and his now permanent secretary Robin on a case to find a missing author. Strike is somewhat famous after solving a supermodel?s murder, but has nothing more exciting to do than trail errant husbands. The suspicious wives pay handsomely, so he?s not complaining, but that?s about it. Then comes the wife of an author who is missing for days, and though he?s not sure about the payment, Strike takes the case. It appears to be an open and shut one, as there?s just a phone call to be made to find the author, or so the wife assures.

Predictably, things soon spin out of control. It is found that the missing author?s latest, but unpublished book is a vicious spoof on people around him, which include big names in publishing. Several people are miffed, and, understandably, no one wants to publish it.

The macabre characters of the writer?s book come to life as Strike meets people associated with the writer, and things take a sinister turn when the writer is found, murdered exactly in the same way as described in his book. A dissection of the gut, hydrochloric acid, burns, blows and suggested cannibalism?the blueprint is all in the manuscript.

What is interesting is how Rowling successfully etches each character?both in the writer?s book and her own?in all their kinky, eccentric glory and manages to juxtapose the two. Rowling?s vivid imagination was evident in the Potter books, but here she ventures into sexual grotesqueness, portraying characters in the writer?s book in all their depravity. It is not this kinky writing that is laudable, but how the story within the story comes together, lifting an otherwise average book, albeit in parts.

One can figure out the killer and even predict at many places what?s going to happen next, much like a Bollywood movie. For instance, when Strike reaches the house on Talgarth Road, one instinctively knows he will find the writer?s body there. The final revelation of the culprit is no surprise either.

Rowling also makes Strike and Robin more accessible to the readers, as large portions of the book are devoted to their personal lives, situations and thoughts. One can sense the possibility of an intimate relationship between the two, but Rowling chooses to end the book with a chaste kiss on the hand?which essentially captures what the readers expect and what they get from the book.