The Dante Club

Have you ever started a book, read a few chapters, decided that you didn't like it, and moved on? I have never done that before-- and I am ashamed to say that I almost broke this streak. Almost. You see, the second book that I got from the library (and yes, this was a few weeks ago for those who read my last blog post) started off painfully slowly. So slowly, in fact, that I seriously considered abandoning it. The plot took forever to develop, even though someone was murdered within the first five pages of the book, characters kept getting muddled together, and I frequently had to reread pages to figure out what in the world was going on.

The title of this book is The Dante Club, written by debut author Matthew Pearl. A historical fantasy set in mid 19nth century Boston, this book revolves around the Italian poet Dante and his work, The Divine Comedy. After several prominent members of society are inhumanely murdered, the members of this club must work together to find and stop the killer. The four members-- two poets, a publisher, and a doctor-- try and stay one step ahead of the police as they use their knowledge of Dante to find a connection between the murders.

You wouldn't think that a book filled to the brim with murder, lies, and betrayals would be so boring-- but it was. At least, the beginning was.

I decided to stick with the book. There was something about it that kept me hooked, some part of my subconscious dying to know the end. I was caught. So I didn't abandon it, as most people probably would have.

My reaction? Wow. What else can I say? There is a depth to this book that you don't find in many books nowadays. Although there is a great host of characters, which in the beginning, can be quite overwhelming for a reader, they each had their own thoughts, actions, and motives. There were no "cookie-cutter" characters. The integration of Dante's Comedy was well-executed, as well as historical accuracy of the events. There was in fact a Dante Club, dedicated to translating the Comedy from Italian to English.

In The Dante Club, the characters use a lot of florid language and metaphors to express ideas. They are, after all, poets themselves. One such quote that struck me was, " 'Till America has learned to love literature not as an amusement, not as a mere doggerel to memorize in a college room, but for its humanizing and ennobling energy, my dear reverend president, she will not have succeeded in that high sense which alone makes a nation out of a people. That which raises it from a dead name to a living power.'" Whether you agree with that statement or not, you cannot deny the eloquent way in which Matthew Pearl phrases his thoughts.
It is with regret that I end today's post. This book and I have a love-hate relationship-- I couldn't stand to beginning of the book, but I stuck with it, and slowly able to uncover the hidden jewel that this book turned out to be. I encourage you to take to the library and pick up The Dante Club.

Have a great week, and happy reading!