Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Joseph Heller, who wrote Catch-22, once famously defined a novel in which “something happens.” He even later wrote a novel with that title. (It wasn’t very good.) So, it’s reasonable for a reader to expect upon digging into a book-length story that, in fact, something will indeed happen, at least within the first one hundred pages or so. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in A Student of History, Nina Revoyr’s venture into the rarefied air of Old Money in Los Angeles. Instead of the down-and-dirty exposé of the ruthless and unscrupulous men who built the city, which the novel’s premise seems to promise, it’s a ho-hum tale of a young man who is, get this, a student of history. It’s a mystery without suspense.
A look into the seamy side of Los Angeles history?
Okay, to be fair, what happens in those first hundred pages is this . . . Rick Nagano, a thirty-two-year-old graduate student in history at the University of Southern California, is struggling because his live-in girlfriend dumped him. He can’t even really afford the rent on the modest apartment they shared. And he’s making no progress on his dissertation.
So, a friend tips him off to a job as a research assistant to a rich old lady who lives in a palatial mansion in the hills. Mrs. W. is the granddaughter of one of the most important figures in the early history of Los Angeles. And she signs him up to transcribe her handwritten memoir, which includes details about her grandfather and her father’s business dealings. It’s a terrific set-up for an inside look into the crime and corruption that launched the City of Los Angeles and gave birth to such masterpieces as Chinatown. Surely, any reader would expect this. But no.
A Student of History by Nina Revoyr (2019) 240 pages ★★★☆☆
A disappointing plunge into a latter-day mystery
Instead of plunging Rick into the wilds of Los Angeles a century ago, Revoyr turns him into Mrs. W.’s plus-one for a series of insufferable charity luncheons and gala celebrations for the innumerable causes and institutions she supports with her billions. But of course there is something wrong in the old woman’s family. She has three grown children, and none of them ever visit her, so far as Rick can tell.
They seem estranged. Why? Of course, these things happen, especially when lots of money is involved. But there’s something more . . . something about her younger son that seems off. And this sends Rick off on a mission to find the son and learn what may have caused a rift between him and his mother. This is the mystery we’re supposed to be puzzled about. Well, of course, something did happen, as we find out later in the story. It’s awful, actually. But by that point, after all those boring society affairs, it’s hard to care.
About the author
On her website, the author writes that “Nina Revoyr was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a white [Polish-] American father, and grew up in Tokyo, Wisconsin, and Los Angeles. She is the author of six novels. . . ” which have been taught in many college courses about Los Angeles or California history or literature.
“Nina was a longtime executive vice president and chief operating officer of a nonprofit organization serving children affected by violence and poverty in Los Angeles. She now works in philanthropy, as part of an effort to improve economic mobility for low-income children and their families. Nina has been an Associate Faculty member at Antioch University, and a Visiting Professor at Cornell University, Occidental College, Pitzer College, and Pomona College. She lives in Los Angeles with her spouse and their dogs.”
Wikipedia adds that “After attending Yale University, she taught English in Japan for two years before returning to the United States, where she took an MFA in creative writing at Cornell University. She published her first novel in 1997.”
For related reading
For an excellent account of the early history of Los Angeles, see Water to the Angels: William Mulholland, His Monumental Aqueduct, and the Rise of Los Angeles by Les Standiford (How the desert town of Los Angeles became the city it is today).
You might also be interested in:
- Top Los Angeles mysteries and thrillers
- 20 excellent standalone mysteries and thrillers
- 25 most enlightening historical novels
And you can always find my most popular reviews, and the most recent ones, on the Home Page.
