Review 516: Old Filth

Old Filth by Jane Gardam
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I made a mistake with this book. Typically I do look into the summary before purchasing a book but try to avoid too much of that when about to read a book I own, as I don’t want any spoilers. Often this means the book ends up being something completely different than what I expected. That’s what happened with this book.

I listened to the audiobook and started it, briefly some time ago and based on not knowing with the book was about and the opening, I though this was a MI5 – spy type book. And it put me off the book for a while. Like I said, I was very wrong about that.

What we have instead is a man well into retirement from the law. Sir Edward Feathers and his wife lived in Hong Kong where he became a judge and had an astounding career, made really good money, and impressed many people. They retired back in England in the Donheads, in Dorset. He is fairly secluded to where being his age, most people believe he already died. Unfortunately, his wife had recently suddenly died.

The book is told in current time and with most of it in reminiscences of his past, of his whole life. And this is how we come to understand this character.

It’s a well written book, much better than what I expected. However it is the first book of a trilogy. His wife is the main point of view for the second book, and since her life and very little is really in this one, I’m curious. I may read that. Maybe. I have so many other books already waiting.