“Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead” is a highly acclaimed novel by one of talented American authors of new generation, Sara Gran. The novel was published in the year 2011 and Gran earned wide acclamations from readers as well as critics for her amazing literary work. This paper intends to discuss the novel, “Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead” along with discussing various other related aspects of the novel.
Claire DeWitt is the protagonist of this novel. She is a detective from Brooklyn and is blessed with some extraordinary skills of solving complicated cases and searching discerning evidences. Apart from her brilliant brain, Claire uses omens, dreams and herbs that strengthen human brain in order to crack complicated cases. She has immense faith in ‘Detection’, one and only book from the great and enigmatic French detective Jacques Sillette. Claire considers this book as the bible and gives it due credit for solving various mysteries.
Claire appears to be a progressive protagonist. She is equipped with various skills, and methods that she uses in her investigation are acentric. Claire has a mysterious spiritual connection with the book, ‘Detection’. On the basis of idiosyncratic behavior, Claire is a puzzling protagonist who has her own way of interpreting things and it becomes difficult to analyze her steps because of uncertain traits of her character. There is a contradiction in appearance and behavior of Claire. She is a tattooed and smokes but has a unique way of thinking.
The portrayal of the main character by the author is a distinct feature of this novel. Gran has presented a character that is brilliant in her profession, but at the same time, she is full of mystery. At times, Claire is portrayed as influenced by dark forces. It appears that she has travelled to hell several times and has returned from there after learning various skills. Claire is portrayed solving various cases on the basis of her intuitions and dreams. By portraying such traits of the main character of the novel, the author has tried to present her as a combination of good and evil.
Claire is called in New Orleans after the epidemic of Katrina. Claire has always tried to avoid this city because Constance Darling, a pupil of her mentor, Silette was murdered here. The detective was assigned a task to probe the disappearance of a prosecutor who was remembered for his convictions of winning cases. The prosecutor, Vic Willing was disappeared from the city in an uncanny manner and his disappearance raised certain questions. There were several questions whether any criminal took revenge from him or he disappeared deliberately by taking help of storm.
Claire started probing this case and she met Andray during following various leads of this case. Claire comes to know about various mysteries, corruptions, exploitations and despair during her investigation. Since Claire is not a common detective, she discovers a number of things including self, purpose and fate apart from discovering the disappearance of prosecutor. All traits of her character help her at various stages of her investigation and she emerges as victorious.
Claire has a different perspective of seeing and analyzing things. She is a natural detective. She believes in seeing things what others cannot see. She is blessed having mentor like Silette. Claire has an unbreakable faith in her mentor and his teachings. Claire DeWitt never forgets teachings of Silette and applies the same in her life as well as in her interrogations. She remembers Silette saying in a scene, “The clue that can be named is not the eternal clue,” “The mystery that can be named is not the eternal mystery” (Gran, p. 168).
Sara Gran has a good sense of writing. She has used appropriate and bold words, phrases with a superb philosophical touch in her novel, “Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead”. It appears that the author communicates with the readers through her realistic portrayal. In one scene, Gran uses these words, “The client already knows the solution to his mystery. But he doesn't want to know. He doesn't hire a detective to solve his mystery. He hires a detective to prove that his mystery can't be solved” (Gran, p. 3).
There are various themes of the novel including gang violence, mystery, substance use, sex and natural calamity. The portrayal of brutal aftereffects of Katrina is very communicative and readers can feel it. The portrayal of the city after facing Katrina appears itself as a character. Readers can feel the devastated city and residents who remain after the storm. The author does not depict the mystery of disappeared prosecutor but it also caters a number of things that attract and enthrall readers.
Sara Gran has delivered a literary work that is surreal to some extent and at the same time it may appear as very complex. The novel is beautifully crafted and presents the story in front of readers in a unique manner. The novel assures of literary creation and also takes readers into various different situations. It gives a glimpse of New Orleans and contemporary society. It indicates towards the pain that residents of New Orleans suffered due to storm. The novel also takes readers on a tour of the devastated city where crime is on rise. A city where people are scared.
Sara Gran has presented mystery, sarcasm, humor and even absurdity in a presentable manner. Gran’s portrayal of New Orleans is very emotional at one hand while her portrayal of Claire is very appealing at the other hand. The novel is not confined into one theme and presents various emotions in front of readers. The author presents humor in a manner that make their faces smile. Every aspect of the novel is well-crafted and the author succeeds in entertaining readers through her novel (Gran).
Having observed an overview and succinct analysis of the abovementioned subject, the paper concludes that the novel, “Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead” is one of luminous piece of literary works by author Sara Gran. Claire is the leading character of this novel who is an expert and skilled detective. The novel portrays the woman detective in a vivid manner. The story of this novel attracts readers and portrayal of characters as well as incidents is done in an astonishing way. Sara Gran has delivered an entertainer that also teaches a lot to its readers in a realistic manner.
Work Cited
Gran, Sara. Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. Print.
