by Karen Kalbacher

Created on: July 21, 2011   Last Updated: July 22, 2011

Alpine Divorce by Robert Barr is a classic suspense story where anger and resentment build up into a desperate act. The main character Mr. Bodman can’t stand his wife and she can’t stand them and it just builds from there into a climax that is almost worth the first six paragraphs of not at all suspenseful build up.

The entire story is told in 3rd person perspective which pulls the reader back into a far removed space. It’s not at all like watching it happen. It’s more like reading a newspaper article about a murder, distant and cold. More dialogue in the early paragraphs might have brought the reader in closer or more foreshadowing. Instead it’s a very clinical description of a marriage gone wrong with no passion.

On the other hand the second half of the story does manage to build suspense as Mr. Bodman gets closer to his grim decision to murder his wife. More life seems to be injected into the characters as they plod towards an inevitable murder. Dialogue enters the story at this point and it’s a little stilted and formal but it helps the reader start to care and feel the sense of gloom surrounding the couple.

The situation builds to the point where the doomed couple takes a vacation together and Mr. Bodman plots to shove his wife off of a cliff and be done with her. This is really where the story takes off and the interest in the characters grows. He doubts himself and wonders if he’s doing the right thing. But I think one of his biggest issues and problems is mentioned in the first few paragraphs. The author makes a point of telling you the reason this couple hate each other so much is that they are exactly alike. This is an important hint as to where the story is going. It wasn’t played up as much as it should have been to add to the foreshadowing but it is there and it is a good indicator.

The story climaxes with a twist that is suspenseful if not predictable in an enjoyable way. The conclusion is much more emotional and much easier for the reader to connect with and you end up feeling almost sorry for the protagonist and would-be-murderer. Mostly because the tables get turned on him and he ends up getting the punishment his dark thoughts deserved. Overall the writing style is good if a bit distant and the story is good if a bit predictable.

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