Reflections

Jasper Fforde meets Jane Austen at 221B Baker Street--I love the premise of this story which reminds me of Book World in Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next novels. Though not as funny as Fforde’s series, Outside the Spotlight shares the idea that literary figures interact in a genre spanning universe and have their own lives, joys, and unique problems. The “not as funny” comment isn’t a criticism. There’s still plenty of humor--Fforde would be hard to beat for funny--and with mystery and romance Outside the Spotlight has its own charms.

Isabella has spent the last 400 years as a sixteenth century milkmaid from a Christmas carol. She has 200 recipes for Christmas pudding, she’s witnessed the birth of the Christ child, and she’s friends with Santa Claus (who drinks too much when he’s off duty), but Isabella is tired of winter weather and longs for the chance to go someplace warm. She applies to take a vacation as a character in a mystery novel, and for that she is trained by none other than Sherlock Holmes. In spite of their disparate backgrounds, there’s mutual respect and a burgeoning attraction between Holmes and Isabella, but--like many characters in Jane Austen novels--neither is the type to blurt out their feelings. Their relationship might have ended with the training except that when the unthinkable happens in the mystery Isabella has a role in she turns to Holmes for help.

As someone who enjoys books about books, I love the cleverness of the cross genre relationships and complications. With convincing characterizations and an entertaining plot, Outside the Spotlight is a fun and satisfying reading pleasure.