The Best of Crimes

I finished reading this book and sat in my corner torn between applauding the author for navigating the thin line between crime and intent.
So, before you roll your eyes, I'll give you a summary of this story: Walter hands himself to the police saying that he kidnapped Amanda. She's a pre-teen and from the first time he sees her (courtesy of his daughter Olivia, who starts out as friends with Amanda, plus given that they are neighbors) he's completely besotted or shall I say taken in by her. And how is this so? Well, he cannot stop gravitating towards her, wishing her well, checking up on her, buying her gifts and giving her his attention.
The one question that you cannot stop asking throughout this book is "did he" or "didn't he?" and on that basis alone, I'll say it makes for an interesting if not a psychological thriller one with characters who are not as deep or complex as you'd wish, but where they serve up the story all the same.
Thanks for the eARC Netgalley.

A very well written book, although a bit slow at times. It certainly challenges your view of what is appropriate and inappropriate behaviour between an adult and an adolescent, as well as what are appropriate feelings to have. A good read and I would recommend it.

I'm always looking for a way around the old cliche "..couldn't put it down" but in this case I had to find out.
Did he or didn't he?
Not being a fan, at all, of reviewers who spend time telling readers the plot when it's right there in the synopsis I will get straight to crux. This is dangerous territory and I applaud both writer and publisher for stepping up to the crease and taking a big swing at it. Not that I remember too much of Humbert H. and Lolita but the situation was volatile then and is incendiary now; a pre-teen girl and a mature man.
It's an exciting read to watch a man fight against and ultimately abandon all societal taboos; to yield to the raging passion within him and yet never quite lose all self respect.
I will that this work be accepted for what it is. To find that out read it for yourself.
"And the rest is rust and stardust".

The descriptive bit: Walter Mitchell, a New Yorker, walks into his local police station at the beginning of this novel and confesses to kidnapping a thirteen-year-old. Then the story of his history begins.

Walter is a young math prodigy and at eighteen he lands a job in the twin towers. He meets and marries Sterling, who is ten years his elder. He’s overjoyed when he finds out that his wife is pregnant and his daughter, Olivia quickly becomes the light of his life. When his best friend dies in the Twin Tower attacks, Walter’s life seems to begin unraveling.

Walter prefers to be home parenting Olivia and her friend, Amanda rather than working or spending time with his wife. He doesn’t enjoy the pretentious lifestyle that Sterling seeks out.

Slowly, Walter’s attachment to Amanda morphs into something uncomfortable, and eventually potentially dangerous.

My thoughts bit: This is a challenging book to review. The subject matter is very uncomfortable and I’m not even sure how to review it. It was interesting enough that I kept reading … I was definitely intrigued enough to want to know how things ended.

Let’s talk about Walter. I liked Walter at the beginning of the novel. He was a sympathetic character. His sister died when he was young, his parents were absent at best, he lost his best friend during the Twin Towers attack and then finally his wife and daughter move out.

Amanda is the next door neighbor’s daughter and the friend of Walter’s daughter. But, long after Olivia loses interest in her friend, Walter keeps finding reasons to see her. The interesting part about the relationship between Walter and Amanda is that he creates boundaries in his mind of what’s crossing a line into being inappropriate. Now, I would argue that any relationship between a thirty-year-old man and a thirteen-year-old girl he’s not related to … is inappropriate. Somehow, Walter convinces himself that Amanda is getting the love she needs from him, and even though he has a clear physical desire for her, he doesn’t act on it.

The reason I struggle with reviewing the book is that the relationship between these two characters made me uncomfortable from beginning to end. Kudos to Maher for making me squirm in my seat as Walter and Amanda sat next to each other on the couch, barely touching and I still found myself horrified. I did find myself wishing that Walter’s character had been developed more fully. There were lots of reasons for me to feel sympathetic towards him, but I just didn’t. In fact, I found him rather frustrating. Sure, he tries to set boundaries, but he lets them be broken time and again. Despite the fact that he knows what he is doing is wrong, he continues to do it.

I also couldn’t help wondering how none of the adults in the book caught on to the fact that this totally inappropriate relationship was happening. Walter even went so far as to confess to Amanda’s mother that their relationship was dangerous and she does … nothing. Walter’s wife comments on it… and does nothing. Everyone seems to think that Walter is harmless and could never do something so terrible and I found that a bit unbelievable.

The overall premise of the book is interesting. There certainly is an argument to be made that thought crime isn’t a crime. But I felt as though the story didn’t go far enough… because I do think that Walter crossed clear lines. My respect to the author for tackling such an uncomfortable subject!

The warnings bit: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of.

Some serious taboos crumbled, cultural/social norms came tumbling down.

This turbulent, unputdownable novel on love and friendship between a pre-pubescent girl and a thirty-three-year-old man has affected me in many ways I could not even imagine. Where do we draw the line when it comes to unconventional relationships? We are shaped by our beliefs and ideas injected to us by the rules of society, which we accept without even questioning. We are creeped out when we consider a relationship between a 13 and 33-year-old. However, if we look at it from an evolutionary or biological perspective, leaving our cultural prejudices behind, we start to see things differently.
Here in this book, we see the evolution of a relationship between two extraordinary people, one a genius, who was always a grown-up, started life all too soon and got married to a woman, who is 10 years older than him; and a fast-matured 13-year-old girl, who has never had a chance to be a child due to parental issues and can see the world from the perspective of a woman, who is at least twice her age. We see how these two people love each other, try to suppress the natural urges that come with those feelings and try to fit their relationship into a conventional form; otherwise, the only way the society can see it is as a crime.
I loved the way the story unfolds, how these broken people started to see each other other than just friends, consoled and comforted each other. It has opened up my mind to not see things as they are and consider different perspectives and possibilities. Overall, an amazing read!

I have just finished The Best Of Crimes this afternoon and I'm sure I'll struggle to find the right words to do this book the justice it deserves. It's a difficult one to review, but certainly one I recommend.
This story is quite beautifully written. I was completely captivated, but it will undoubtedly be controversial given the nature of the storyline.
Walter quite simply becomes besotted with his daughter's friend, Amanda, and they share a very close relationship when she is only thirteen years old. Amanda is left alone for long periods of time by her neglectful mother which leads to Walter's need to take care of her. His wife and daughter have moved away, so it's just the two of them in their quiet little street. Amanda wholeheartedly shares Walter's affections, but he is careful not to cross lines. There are many rules as Walter is aware that his love for Amanda will not be tolerated by the world. He knows it's wrong and he's petrified of the strength of his feelings. He doesn't come across as one who is naturally attracted to minors and is actually quite a likeable character in many ways, considering. As a mother though, alarm bells would be ringing if a man was paying my daughter that much attention, especially one who actually tried to explain to me how he was feeling about her, so Amanda's mother is a complete mystery to me! How a mother can be so uninterested in their own child is beyond me.
I also found Sterling to be an odd character. Swanning off with another bloke for months then coming home and expecting them to carry on as if she'd never been away. I'm sure Walter would be unlikely to welcome her home with open arms under normal circumstances. She also seems to be aware of Walter's relationship with Amanda and does nothing to intervene, too immersed in her own selfish needs. I find it quite odd how both of these women turn a blind eye to the situation. They could have nipped the whole thing in the bud quite early on, but that wouldn't make for such an intriguing story would it. Although naturally unsettling this book is truly compelling.
Many thanks to Anna & Julia at RedDoor Publishing for my review copy.