Book Review: Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Amanda Flower

 

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Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: death, murder, violence, animal cruelty, racism, misogyny.

Willa Noble is over the moon when she's employed as a housemaid by the Dickinsons. It isn't by chance that she is hired, however: it's Emily Dickinson herself who instructs the head maid to take Willa on. Not much time has passed when tragedy strikes, and Willa's brother, Henry, is killed in what the police are calling an accident. Emily and Willa suspect that something else is afoot, however, and with the help of her eccentric employer, Willa is determined to find out who killed her brother -- at any cost.

What is it about Emily Dickinson that still fascinates us to this day? Her rich, private inner life? The way she still remains somewhat shrouded in mystery, even after all this time? We are always looking for a glimpse into her world, however small. When I picked up Because I Could Not Stop for Death, that's what I was hoping for, in spite of the fact that it takes place from the point of view of her maid -- an insight into Emily's secretive world. Disappointingly enough, though, we never quite get that chance.

To start with, all of the characters in this book are, sadly, strangely shallow. Many of them feel like caricatures, and despite the fact that Flower attempts to add depth to them through stories of their backgrounds, it does little to enrich them or add to their personalities. Willa, our main character, suffers from this same problem too -- although we're seeing everything happening through her eyes, all of her thoughts and observations feel rudimentary. Even now, I'm not exactly sure what I'd list as her character traits. Emily, Willa's brother, the rest of the Dickinson family, and, essentially, every character in these pages has a dearth of charisma.

The plot and mystery itself are basic, never able to rise above the average, everyday mystery you might pick up. The historical setting is certainly well-researched, but the stilted dialogue doesn't transport you to the era, but instead makes it feel as if everyone is clunky and awkward. Emily's dialogue suffers the most from this, probably because there are attempts at capturing her unique way of writing through her voice, but it just doesn't work. Willa and Emily claim to be investigating the death of Willa's brother, but the steps they take to do this are basic, never really fleshed-out. The "investigation" doesn't really yield any interesting clues or hints that help the reader to make their own assumptions.

Ultimately, this book just doesn't succeed in what it sets out to do. The questions raised here, about class and race, are good, but as with the rest, underdeveloped and overstated. The writing is so blunt, so set on making sure you're understanding what's going on, that it seems to imply the reader is too stupid to figure it out. 

Not for me, but I'm sure there are many people out there who will enjoy the historical setting and time period, which Flower pulls off pretty well!