The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels, by Beth Lincoln, is a book about a family, the Swifts, in which people are named using the Family Dictionary. When a child is born the mother would close her eyes, randomly open the Dictionary, and point to a word, that would be the name of the child. Their name comes along with a definition. Every Swift Family Reunion it is tradition for the Swifts to search for Grand-Uncle Vile’s secret stash of treasure. This Family Reunion the main character, Shenanigan Swift, intends to find the stash before anyone else. The stash, however, becomes the least of her worries when one of her relatives attempts to murder Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude, the leader of the family. Shenanigan, her sisters, Phenomena and Felicity, and her new friend, Erf, need to work together to solve the mystery and find the assassin. Shenanigan also must overcome some prejudice she faces because of her name. Everyone always assumes she will grow up to be just that.
This novel seemed intriguing at first, but the beginning was slow, boring, and even a little confusing. The book is split into two parts, as well as many chapters, which are not equal in length. The first part, which is shorter, is more boring and a lot of setup. The second part, however, was much more interesting. It was very much fun to try to solve the mystery before the characters, which I did. Some of the points the author tries to make are controversial and many of which I do not agree with. Some certain opinions are brought up much too often, a common annoyance with many books. Too many authors include small little details and remarks just to prove a political point. Unfortunately, this book contains quite a bit of that. However, one of the messages that I do agree with is the message of independence. The message is that one does not have to be defined by the labels put on them by others.
Overall, it was an interesting book. The basic concepts that sprouted the story were very creative. The only thing left to mention is that this book was originally written in British English and later translated into American English. Some things may still seem strange.
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