The Best Books Club: Contemplating Difference

Photo by Ed Robertson

When I first read “Raven Black” by Ann Cleeves eight years ago, I initially thought it was boring. But I kept reading, and I fell in love with Shetland and Jimmy Perez, as well as the writing of Ann Cleeves.

Before I even finished it, I learned “Raven Black” was first in the “Shetland” series, and Cleeves also has a “Vera” series; both were the inspiration of the television series of the same names. In the years since, I’ve read and re-read every book Cleeves has written and watched every episode of both series multiple times. Hands down, they are my all-time favorite book series and television series.

I was excited, then, to return this month to the book that ignited my love for all things Ann Cleeves. I looked forward to discussing with other readers the great characterization, outstanding plot, etc., that characterize her writing. But as I read “Raven Black” this time, something entirely different stood out to me.

From the very first page, I was drawn less to Perez solving Catherine Ross’ murder and more to the character of Magnus Tait, an adult male living alone after his mother passed away some years before.

He longs for human companionship, for friends. Sadly, his limited intelligence and odd behaviors, along with his alleged and often-gossiped-about involvement in a young girl’s disappearance many years ago, cause him to be an outcast of Shetland’s small population.

As I read, I sympathized with him and was saddened by how maliciously the other residents spoke about him and treated him. I was even more troubled that, because he was deemed unattractive and acted strangely, the residents and even some police were eager to cast him in the role of villain in their theories about Catriona’s disappearance and Catherine’s murder.

I wondered if I was reading too much into the story.

But the truth is, I routinely see this type of reaction to news stories of “cute” missing children and the deaths of “pretty” young women or “handsome” men. Repeated comments clearly indicating that it is the victim’s attractiveness that makes their being a victim a horrible injustice causes me to want to ask, “Would it be less a tragedy had they been ugly?”

And on the flip side, I observe the reactions when a person of interest is unattractive or doesn’t look or act like “one of us.” Like Tait, those alleged perpetrators are seemingly quickly assumed to be guilty of a crime that often they haven’t even yet been accused of.

I’m saddened that as a culture, we’re all too willing to deify pretty people and to demonize those who don’t fit society’s definition of attractive. We consider ourselves progressive and tolerant, yet one look at social media posts or online comments in response to news articles reveals we all too often base our opinions of people on the superficial, as opposed to what really counts: a person’s character and heart.

Maybe I’m overreacting; I certainly hope so. But it’s incumbent on me — on each one of us — to do more than hope our culture doesn’t measure a person’s worth or character on their looks and instead embraces others, no matter what their appearance.

Instead, I must be intentional, every single day, to put that concept into practice.

Some topics Jasmine and I will discuss on our Facebook Live chat in The Best Books Group on The Best Years Facebook page at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9, include:

1. The idea of community and belonging to one is central to the book. Discuss the degree to which the various major characters belong — or feel like they belong — in the island community.

2. It can be argued that not only is Magnus Tait a logical suspect, he is also an “easy” suspect. Why do you think that is?

3. Does Jimmy Perez fit your own model of a great police detective? Explain.

4. How is the fictional town of Ravenswick, Shetland, a microcosm of communities you are familiar with?

5. Another significant theme in the story is secrets. More than a few people in Ravenswick harbor secrets they have kept hidden for many years. Is that really possible in society today?

Coming Up

The Best Books Club selection for May takes us back to a great nonfiction book, “Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff” (Matt Paxton, 2022). A minimalist and serial de-clutterer, I’ve read lots of books and blogs on the topic, and this one stands above the rest.

Patti Miinch, a resident of Cape Girardeau, is an author, mother and mother-in-law of two, grandmother of five and retired educator; while she has many loves, spending time with her family, sports, travel and reading top the list.