Cut to the Quick.

Alicia Kerfoot is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of English and
Cultural Studies at McMaster University.

Cut to the Quick is intriguing, but it lacks intensity and creativity. It is a run-of-the-mill detective story set in Toronto, and Boswell envelops it in the mundane details of a “dramatic” family narrative. Part of the problem lies in the fact that she splits her narrative between a friend of the targeted family (Hollis) and a police officer (Rhona). This technique might have led to a dynamic narrative, but Boswell fails to maintain interest in both characters, which leads to a confusing and lopsided progression of events. Several naïve racial and social stereotypes support an idealistic portrayal of Toronto’s multiculturalism. The treatment of fine art in the book is perhaps the most convincing and vibrant aspect of the story. Boswell’s images of family and human emotion are poignant, but when it comes to the crime narrative her story falls flat with clichés and step-by-step descriptions of the murder investigation.

The first part of the book focuses on the murder of Ivan Hartman, a young culinary hopeful and son of a famous Canadian artist, while the second half details the continuing persecution of the family. Boswell’s portrayal of Ivan Hartman’s father is a caricature, while her description of Ivan’s younger brother, Etienne, is much more realistic and provides an interesting (although by no means interrogative) portrayal of a child’s response to family drama. Rhona and Hollis are ultimately the same character, and there are actually times when Boswell confuses their names in her narrative. Add to that confusion a multitude of typos and sloppy dialogue and the result is a narrative that requires the reader’s work in order to make it interesting.

The second half of the book does gain momentum and provides some of the more interesting aspects of the story, but disappoints with an overly optimistic resolution that is reminiscent of a romantic comedy. An obsession with golden retrievers and Tim Hortons donuts takes over on several occasions—although Boswell writes Hollis’s dog MacTee with more skill than she does many of the other characters.