This Fic is right. With the capitals. Exactly right. I've been reading this murder mystery that won a bunch of national awards and stuff, and it's been like pulling teeth and I had been hemming and hawing like "maybe this genre isn't for me, maybe whatever, I think it's just bad writing, but it's been recommended, I'm gonna keep trying" And then This Fic. I started reading it and the plot and the characters and the setting, all of it - all of it - is better than this whatever schmancy novel. Turns out it was not a problem with genre or anything other than the difference between an author whose characters are one dimensional and an author whose world-building is A++. I was entranced, start to finish, and every character mattered to me and felt so complete, and the ending - goodness. That ending. Finding out who did it was so perfect. I had had a guess, but there were enough real leads that it wasn't until after Lila Goldstein was revealed as M. Renaldi and Lee had slipped Susan the bit that showed up in the Prophet that I really felt comfortable to call it a guess. And then that confrontation between Susan and Draco in Hogsmeade broke my heart. It was so human and humane. I love that there was never really a villain, but confusion and jealousy and loneliness and regret. The distinction Susan makes between guilt and shame...I was so wowed. And that Draco still goes to visit her, but Pansy can't. Goodness. I just want to discuss and flail about this, and feel so grateful to have been given this faith-in-genre-restoring, illuminating, amazing gift.

And those quotes around 'mystery'! I have some suspicions, between something in the author's note and the Millicent Bulstrode appearances, but am still dying to find out for sure. Tomorrow!

(I did say I was going to come back and flail at you when I was done....so, flailing! And if you want to discuss I am so down to book club this fic. And also want to know more about how it was a watershed for you. How was it a watershed for you?)