The first full-length novel from Heather McGowan since 2006 is here. I typically do not look at online reviews or blurbs of titles that I am covering, but I needed to make an exception with this one.

I cannot remember seeing a work of fiction receive such a divisive set of reviews spanning both ends of the spectrum, with no one going middle of the road. The reason for this amazing dichotomy is purely based on McGowan’s writing style, which is a combination of the stream-of-consciousness writing of William S. Burroughs and the complexity of a Thomas Pynchon novel. I happen to really like both of these authors, so I appreciated what she did here. But readers not used to this approach will find it to be quite challenging.

"Challenging writing style aside, this is a clever and risk-taking piece of work, and it clearly announces that Heather McGowan is back in the game."

We are taken on a 24-hour ride inside the mind of New York museum director Diane Schwebe. It just so happens to be the most difficult, memorable and trying 24 hours of her personal and professional life. Throughout the story, we are privy to the unfiltered thoughts of Diane and all of the colleagues with whom she interacts. Some might find the dark, sarcastic humor to be cruel and a bit much. But I enjoyed having complete access to what was going on in everyone’s minds.

Some of the principal characters involved (and many thanks to McGowan for including a list of them at the beginning of the novel) are Henry Joles, General Counsel; Shay Pallot, Chief Security Officer; Benjamin Rippen, Curator of Film; Nikolic Pesa, Chef de Partie; and Katherine Tambling, Associate Curator of Costume. We also have Diane’s personal assistant, Chris, as well as other minor players and various interns who are mentioned throughout the day.

On this particular day, which begins for Diane at 4:30am, we watch in horror as she juggles too many balls in the air, so we are not surprised when one or more of them falls. We also get a peek inside her crumbling marriage; her husband, Dominic, recently caught her in bed with another woman. There are unplanned absences, petty thievery, plenty of burnout and job dissatisfaction around the horn, and something no one thought they ever would be forced to deal with --- a murder.

The unexpected homicide definitely takes the wind out of everyone’s sails, and the dark humor comes to a grinding halt. Since we already were exposed to these characters’ inner thoughts, it should come as no surprise that one or more of them would be capable of murder. Nevertheless, the moment shifts the focus of everyone’s day, and all eyes are on Diane to take charge of the situation.

FRIENDS OF THE MUSEUM can be called a tragicomedy as it most assuredly delivers on that. Challenging writing style aside, this is a clever and risk-taking piece of work, and it clearly announces that Heather McGowan is back in the game.