THE LOST ART OF GRATITUDE: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel
Alexander McCall Smith
Pantheon
Mystery
ISBN: 9780375425141
THE LOST ART OF GRATITUDE continues the adventures of Isabel Dalhousie, a wealthy, middle-aged divorcee who is also a Doctor of Philosophy. For the uninitiated, Isabel enjoys the leisure to sit in contemplation, observing passersby in a window seat of a favorite High Street coffee shop, meditating on their comings and goings. But now that she has two-year-old son Charlie to look after, her life has changed dramatically.
The joys and demands of motherhood consume much of her time, and as the sole owner and publisher of the Review of Applied Ethics, the magazine of philosophical essays, she finds her days and evenings fuller than ever. When she faced being forced out of the editorial position by two of its quarrelsome directors, Professors Dove and Lettuce, she simply bought the magazine outright. Maintaining full editorial control is far more satisfactory, but her new lifestyle leaves less time for her to worry about what other people are doing and why they are doing it.
In addition to being a powerful magazine publisher, Isabel is a woman with the well-earned reputation of being a bit “nosy” among her peers (if you hadn’t figured that out already). But Isabel would prefer to describe herself as inquisitive or curious or observant but never nosy…she just likes to be of help. And unfortunately for Isabel, her method for solving problems (either through discretion or butting in where she’s not welcome) occasionally catches up with her, which is what sets off the plot in McCall Smith’s sixth Dalhousie novel.
One day, when Isabel and Charlie are enjoying an outing, she runs into Minty Auchterlonie, a remote acquaintance with whom she has tangled in the past. She tries to avoid Minty and her pushy little boy who is Charlie’s age. But Minty, a powerful, wealthy investment banker who moves in the same social circles as Isabel, seems determined to reestablish their relationship and invites Isabel and Charlie to her son’s birthday party. There, Isabel discovers Minty’s real reason for the impromptu invitation: she is being blackmailed over a dark, personal secret, and because she has heard of Isabel’s unique success at discreetly handling such ticklish situations, she seeks her help. When Isabel finds herself manipulated into meeting with a prominent local attorney who is the purported blackmailer, she not only feels used but also suspects that Minty has misled her and everything may not be as it appears.
And to make matters worse, Professors Dove and Lettuce turn up at her home office with evidence that Isabel has allowed a plagiarized article to be published in her magazine. Isabel is nothing if not meticulous in her vetting of all articles for publication, so she is quite disturbed at the potential for scandal and loss of reputation. Again, things are not quite as they seem, and Isabel’s unique approach to resolving the dilemma is amusing and infinitely satisfying --- not only for her but for the reader as well --- once again proving that even dicey problems can be taken care of without the weaponry of the courtroom.
Meanwhile, her personal life with Charlie’s handsome young father, Jamie, a professional musician with whom she is deeply in love, intensifies. There remains that niggling problem between Isabel and her niece Kat, from whom she more or less stole Jamie. Many fences remain in need of mending in her personal relationships as we are reminded that Isabel’s complicated ethical dilemmas often outstrip those of her subscribers.
Alexander McCall Smith is an absolute master of the novel of gentle intrigue. His wise resolutions of the often small yet persistent problems that each of us face in our lives make us yearn for such sagacity on a larger, global scale. His hugely successful series, beginning with THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY, has topped the bestseller lists from its first publication in the United States and abroad, and has recently been adapted into an HBO program of the same name. A master of tackling sticky situations --- which comes from a career of teaching medical law and bioethics in Africa and Scotland --- McCall Smith crafts a wonderfully intriguing novel, one that leaves us waiting for the next in the series.
--- Reviewed by Roz Shea
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