ARC Review: The Curator by Owen King (2023)
An intricately plotted Dickensian novel involving cats and secret societies that is held back by slow pacing.
The Curator releases on March 7th, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Due to eARC agreements, this review will not have quotes.
The Curator is the debut novel of Owen King (yes, he is related to that King). It takes place in a nameless city nicknamed ‘The Fairest’, which is in the midst of a revolution where the aristocracy has been overthrown. The city is a bleak place full of little wonders that make it feel unique: the poor worship cats at ancient shrines, a floating morgue ship shows off preserved bodies of famed criminals for the rich to gawk at, and a secret society operates from the shadows. The story mostly focuses on Dora, a young woman who, in the aftermath of the revolution, tries to gain ownership of a strange building called The Museum of Psykical Research. Dora’s late brother was enmeshed with the Museum before his untimely death, and she believes the building holds some answers. Unfortunately, she arrives at the museum to find it burned to the ground, and instead is given curatorship of a neighboring one, The Museum of the Worker. The story unfolds in the aftermath of the revolution and peels back the mysteries surrounding the city, the revolution, and the forces that threaten it.
The Curator is incredibly well-plotted. Honestly, it is one of the most tightly plotted books I've ever read. King manages to weave an intricate web that connects nearly every character the reader encounters, no matter how throwaway they might feel. The background train driver or scarcely-mentioned roommate might end up getting their own POV chapter by the end. This book feels like a love letter to the plotter's muse: seemingly small actions and dialogue end up connecting to one another in elegant ways. These are often quite subtle, and The Curator rewards careful readers. Once I realized this, my entire approach to reading it changed, and I started actively highlighting small things or background characters that stood out. My diligence rewarded me with a burst of endorphins every time I pieced together another layer of the connective tissue. And those are just the ones I noticed—The Curator is a book that begs for a reread almost immediately after finishing, and I have no doubt that more nuances would reveal themselves during a second trip.
If books were rated on plotting alone, The Curator would be an easy five stars. Unfortunately, other aspects aren't done as well. Many characters feel paper-thin, and more like personified bullet-points than nuanced individuals. In fairness, these are often interesting bullet-points, and there are some good moments, but this is a book where plot always comes before character. Personally, I was fine with the trade—the plotting is so precise and there were so many characters that it didn’t bother me that they didn’t have much individual depth.
But what really makes The Curator hard to recommend is its pacing. The intricate plotting reveals itself less as a focused march towards a climax and more throughout a collection of scattered vignettes from multitude of perspectives. In many ways, its similar to a slice-of-life novel, but with much darker themes and tone. The chapters are well-written and I found King's prose to be very consumable throughout (with the exception of an awkward opening), but unfortunately it makes the pacing feel incredibly slow at times. There are a lot of little things happening that seem to have no impact at all in moving the story forward, and while it does undoubtedly move, it does so at a languid pace. It is worth mentioning that this also created a sort of richness to the city, so it isn't entirely without benefit, but I would have still preferred a faster pace.
King's debut is one of big strengths and but weaknesses, and he's undoubtedly talented as a writer. Ultimately, I found the journey of The Curator to be better than the final destination, and I expect this will be a book that creates both vocal admiration and enmity. I simultaneously really enjoyed my time with it, and left wanting it to better than it was. If the strengths appeal to you, and you can ignore the weaknesses, you might find it to be something special.
You should read The Curator if:
You like books with intricate plotting where everything seems to connect together.
You’re fine with slow books that meander towards a destination.
You’re fine with dark tones and themes—this is not a happy book.
Really appreciated this review. This is the sort of book I really enjoy occasionally reading (aspects of what you said reminded me of my own feelings about Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell), so I'll add this to my list!
(For other interested commenters: looks like Goodreads is currently doing a giveaway for this book: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/353439-the-curator)
Oooh, I’ll have to add this to my list. I do enjoy slower books tbh, pacing doesn’t matter to me as much if the rest is really strong.