Courtney Smyth’s debut novel The Undetectables is a good idea.
It offers disability representation, with a protagonist who lives with fibromyalgia. There’s also LGBTQIA+ representation in its characters, together with a relatable depiction of how close friends can drift apart in their early twenties and what that alienation feels like. The relationships between the protagonist Mallory and her friends Diana and Cornelia are the most developed aspects of this novel.
The story is at turns humorous, warm and cosy, then also dark, painful and sarcastic, with moments of intense social commentary.
In the effort to blend genres, there’s a disconnect, for example, such intense social commentary might not always fit an idyllic urban fantasy setting. There are faeries, vampires and trolls, a smorgasbord of magical beings but the worldbuilding feels incomplete. There is a wealth of imaginative concepts that could be explored further in sequels.
The main character is often reduced to her chronic illness, and it feels like there’s a missed opportunity to contemplate interesting sub-plots.
There is a murder mystery that might perk up crime story enthusiasts, but it has its own gaps. The ingredients are mostly there, and good effort at crossing genres—it needs work for something more seamless.
The Undetectables is a good idea that just doesn’t come to fruition.
This review first appeared in Aurealis magazine, issue #171.
