This stunning debut opens boldly with the word You, as did Jay McInerney’s Bright Lights, Big City (1984), and readers are likely to make other comparisons between the two, though Restoration Heights stands apart because of an added element of mystery ... This is an instant New York fiction classic, exuding dark poetry from a lyrical narrative populated by well-defined characters in carefully, or, shall we say, artistically, arranged settings. Best recommended to a younger, hip audience or to aging McInerney fans who remember Bright Lights, Big City with fondness.
The mystery itself is a little convoluted. Reddick makes some dubious assumptions about the suspects. The narrative slows when Medearis explains the plodding deal-making of real estate development, which is not as compelling as the lively tension between his characters. And strangely, the missing fiancée is also missing from the story, since Reddick doesn’t seem particularly interested in learning more about her. Instead, he becomes obsessed with Restoration Heights and the corporations cashing in on the neighborhood that he loves ... The innovative sections of this novel all deal with Reddick’s art background. Art becomes a method to see and unravel the mystery, and Reddick is not only figuring out what happened, he’s making something new. I wished Medearis had embraced this aspect more, or at least the seedier thrills of noir. Solving a puzzle is pleasurable, even a grim one.
...a noir tale of mystery and power that echoes Raymond Chandler and James Baldwin, creating a nuanced, unique narrative of New York City and the people within ... Restoration Heights is both a mystery and an in-depth study of the psychological fallout and deep racial tensions that result from economic inequality and unrestricted urban development. With his prose, Medearis captures the spirit of New York by cracking its veneer of inclusivity and adding a touch of the unknown the city always seems to possess.
Medearis’ moody debut is a sensitive portrait of gentrifying Brooklyn dressed up as a whodunit ... what opens as a maybe-murder mystery quickly spirals into something else: a novel as concerned with the politics of a changing neighborhood as with finding the missing girl—a girl who may or may not actually be missing ... (While noble in both concern and scope, the novel is not especially subtle.) Twisty and ambitious and pleasantly brooding, it’s a compelling read, if a somewhat convoluted one.
...smart and evocative ... That Mrs. Leland, one of the Seward’s snooty neighbors, pays Reddick to investigate Hannah’s disappearance strains credibility. Nevertheless ... Medearis’s novel adeptly explores white privilege, racism, the demands of creating art, and how members of all socioeconomic classes close ranks when it comes to protecting their own.
