Summer Reading Assignment ~

Ian Rankin's Knots and Crosses, published by Orion Books UK©

1) Provide 3 short excerpts that you believe are examples of effective writing. Explain why you think so for each independently.

“The station was old, its floor dark and marbled. It had about it the fading grandeur of a dead aristocracy. It had character.” (17)

I feel that this really captures the feeling one would have if they were really attached to an old building, like a home or office. The line “It had character” is such a good indication of excellent writing, in three words (or five syllables), Mr. Rankin has conveyed a simple idea of anthropomorphism on a decidedly normal building.

“Nothing in the world tasted as good for breakfast as stolen rolls with some butter and jam and a mug of milky coffee. Nothing tasted better than a venial sin.” (35)

I admit I grinned at this line. I feel for Rebus in these words, as they are true. We all need to give in to temptation at some point.

“The media, sensing that the ‘Edinburgh Strangler’ was not about to vanish into the night, took the story by its horns and created a monster.” (77)

I feel this accurately portrays the uncanny ability of the media to simultaneously blow stories well out of proportion and create massive headaches for law enforcement agencies and the government. Maybe communism has the right idea with full state control…

2) Write a personality sketch for one of the main characters. Provide quotations that support your opinion. (The quotations could simply be a descriptive phrase, something the character says or does, something another character says about him/her.)

John Rebus, the main character of Knots & Crosses, generally fits the standard detective in a crime novel. He’s middle-aged, a smoker, and like any good Scotsman, downs plenty of ale whenever he gets a chance. However, he also has a darker side, as he is constantly tormented by his past, from his divorced marriage to his recurring nightmares in the first book about his mentally challenging days as an SAS trooper. Though throughout the series he has brought down multiple criminals and busted open plenty of gangs, he is almost permanently under suspicion from his higher-ups and even his colleagues, as the army smoothed the initiation process for him as a favor for nearly destroying his mind. Rebus, though he may be stereotypical as a character, is still interesting, and you can’t help but take his side throughout the entire novel, as short as they may be.

3) Write a postcard sized note to the author (no more than 150 words) explaining what you enjoyed about the book.  Use proper letter format including salutation, date, and closing.

Dear Ian Rankin,                                                                                        14/9/12

I must say, I enjoyed Knots & Crosses immensely. The character you created with John Rebus is intriguing, and although one can tell he’s hardly a poster boy for mental health, I cannot help but root for him as he crisscrosses his way across Edinburgh to solve the case. I was even more intrigued by his connection to the SAS. The amount of depth and detail that you go into with the flashback scene makes me wonder if you have some sort of connection to the one of the finest Special Forces units in the world. That combined with the truly dark and intelligent look into the psyche of said “supersoldiers” is, in my opinion, what make this simple plot so intriguing. I honestly hope you will continue this series for a little while longer, as I have never found a series that holds my attention so closely.

Sincerely,

Connor Mulders