Review is for "The Innocent Mrs. Duff," the first novel of the book. It's a pulpy noir about an alcoholic husband and his much younger wife, told from the unreliable point of view of the husband. Quick read, only somewhat satisfying. ( )

I really loved this book. Prior to finding this particular edition in a used bookshop on a trip, I'd never actually heard of Holding. I was pleased and surprised to learn that the film, The Deep End (2001, dir. Scott McGehee and David Siegel), was based on The Blank Wall, because it's was a fantastic film and remained with me long after viewing it; needless to say, I had hopes for the two novels contained in the book.

Holding's prose is has an incredible clarity to it. It's crisp, sparse, and clean; in many ways it reminded me a of modern Minimalist painting. It was refreshing to read. Obviously, if you prefer lush, highly descriptive writing, then you probably will not like this book. The narrative, while not necessarily straightforward, is certainly not complex, and completely dependent upon character development. I found the pacing to be perfect; it was brisk enough to move the plot along, but without feeling rushed, and lingered in just the right places for just long enough.

I think that, of the two novels, The Blank Wall is stronger than The Innocent Mrs. Duff, but really it probably comes down to a matter of personal opinion. Holding's work is absolutely worth a read; highly recommended. ( )