Backstory Glitches

I’m reading a NY Times selling author and s/he gave two different backstories for a character. It’s bothering me, and I’m near the end of the book and don’t think the discrepency was on purpose and will be paid off. I believe this author only writes one book a year and I wonder why the mistake wasn’t caught. Doesn’t s/he read the copy edits any more? Or is it simply that everyone missed it except the reader? I don’t know if this author has reading buddies. There was an additional little choreography glitch, too.

Now I KNOW that these things happen. A story line gets changed and something isn’t caught, and I hate to sound patronizing (especially since every time I do, I find myself in the same shoes as the person I’m thinking confused thoughts about). But someone should have noticed the glitches. Maybe it was a hard book, a rushed book. Readers never know.

Still it bothers me, the reader. It feels sloppy. I think the only way to make sure this doesn’t happen is to have Fresh Eyes look at a manuscript, probably at the final page proof/galley stage.
Sometimes that’s not possible (time is too short to find Fresh Eyes and have them read it).

I hope the author hasn’t gotten blasé about such mistakes, but I don’t think so. We all want our work to be perfect.

So, line up your Fresh Eyes.
May all your choreography dovetail today.
Robin