Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Sep 2015
368 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
A man murdered during Katrina in a hotel room two blocks from her art-restoration studio was closely tied to a part of Johanna's past that she would like kept secret. But missing from the crime scene is a valuable artwork painted in 1926 by a renowned Belgian artist that might bring it all back.
An acquaintance, Clay Fontenot, who has enabled a wide variety of personal violations in his life, some of which he has enjoyed, is the scion of a powerful New Orleans family.
And Marion is an artist and masseuse from the Quarter who has returned after Katrina to rebuild her life.
When Eli, a convicted art thief, is sent to find the missing painting, all of their stories weave together in the slightly deranged halls of the Quarter.
"Starred Review. In this novel, Blackwell has created a vibrant amalgamation of mystery, classic noir, erotica, and ekphrasis... An artful, gritty love story, eulogy, and survivor narrative for the city of New Orleans post-Katrina." - Kirkus
"Though the plot is set up nicely, it lags as the book goes lengthily on, and its suspense lessens commensurately. Still, for atmosphere alone, this makes a nice pairing with James Lee Burke's The Tin Roof Blowdown (2007)." - Booklist
"Though the conclusion is rushed and a little peculiar, readers will forgive it because of Blackwell's consistently stellar writing." - Publishers Weekly
"A deft and vivid portrait of post-Katrina New Orleans, The Lower Quarter flirts along the edges of noir, gets its feet wet, and then returns to offer us the satisfactions of vivid characters complexly and convincingly drawn. This book is about what happens if you pay attention to the real story instead of just reading the tabloid headlines." - Brian Evenson
"In Elise Blackwell's new novel The Lower Quarter, place comes alive as it all too rarely seems to in fiction or for that matter any other genre...My admiration for this beguiling book and its talented author is unqualified." - Steve Yarbrough
"The Lower Quarter is a beautifully written book. Elise Blackwell's work has always been intelligent, nuanced, and finely wrought, but The Lower Quarter is her best novel yet: a mesmerizing story of art, resilience, and life after catastrophe." - Emily St. John Mandel
"The Lower Quarter is noir at its noirest best: dark, fast-paced, sexily exciting, and beautifully written. Pick it up and I dare you to try putting it down." - Benjamin Black (John Banville)
"While expertly unraveling her characters' intertwining stories, Elise Blackwell in her highly atmospheric new novel powerfully conveys the endlessly destructive legacy of violence and the redemptive beauty of art." - Jenny McPhee
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