The Night of the Hunter

John Harper lives with a dark secret that he dare not reveal to anyone. He swore to his father, on the day that the old man was arrested for bank robbery and murder, that he would never tell anyone about the location of the stolen money. Not the police, not his distraught mother, no one. Only nine-year old John and his five-year old sister Pearl know. But then a charming preacher named Harry Powell strolls into the John's Depression-era Ohio town and claims that he was his father's chaplain in prison. Everyone else in town is taken by the seemingly kind and moral Powell, including John's mother whom Powell eventually marries, but John is not fooled. He knows "The Preacher," as Powell is called, is up to no good. (John is the only one who figures out that there's just something remotely creepy about a dude with the words "Love" and "Hate" tattooed on his knuckles...) A sinister game of cat and mouse develops between the precocious youngster and his ruthless stepfather as The Preacher attempts to make John talk, a game of cat and mouse that ultimately sends John and his sister on a terrifying race for their lives to escape Powell.

I love a good thriller and have been meaning to read the suspense classic The Night of the Hunter for several years now. I came across it in a suspense novel collection at my local bookstore late last year and couldn't resist buying it...and several other books. My anticipation was well worth it - this book is excellent! For starters, this is a very well-written book. It's written in third person but with a period dialect. The accent is not overdone and it greatly adds to the storytelling feel. I felt like I was listening to my grandpa relay a story about his childhood while reading this. (Not that his childhood was similar, though he does have some pretty crazy stories to tell...) Author David Grubb also creates an authentic Depression-era setting without beating the reader over the head with tons of description. He conveys a lot in his sparsely eloquent narration.

More importantly, though, this book is a genuine page turner! It's a relatively short novel, so it's a quick read to start with, but the pacing is superb. Grubb builds up to the exciting climax with so many twists and turns, but it never feels like he's being gratuitous with cheap tricks. The denouement, after the climax, goes on a few pages too long, to me, but that's after all of the action is over, so it's not a big deal.

The highlight of this book to me was The Preacher. Oh. My. God. I haven't encountered a literary villain this despicable in a loooooooong time. Powell is genuinely scary, what with his mind games and the sterling facade he puts on for everyone else. (In fact, I couldn't sleep after reading this book and made a complete fool out of myself that night, because I mistook some balloons for Powell at 3am. I thought The Preacher had come to "get" me. In my defense, I can't see very well and have a vivid imagination...) Powell is actually based on a real murderer - Harry Powers, who was known as "The West Virginia Bluebeard". I was not aware of that until I read this book. I am more familiar with the movie version of this movie, in which the Preacher is played by Robert Mitchum, so I had Mitchum's face and voice in my head when I was reading this book. Perhaps that made it more scary, but it's pretty intense to begin with.

The Night of the Hunter is a superb thriller. This book takes a relatively simple tale (evil stepfather vs. innocent children) and makes it far more compelling than many more complex plots. If you're looking for a good psychological thriller, this book will do the trick.

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Next Week: Um...something possibly historical. Like Jeff Shaara's Gods and Generals or Robert Graves' I, Claudius. I have no idea...

Announcements: I have a few announcements this week. *clears throat, stands on strategically-placed box for the height-deprived, and employs loudspeaker*

I have decided to start a new monthly series: "The Unblogged Chronicles". Basically, I am going to do a post each month (probably the last weekend of each month) in which I post mini reviews about all of the books I read that month and didn't blog about. Both Penguins and Scott have asked me recently if I blog on books I dislike. The answer: nope. For various reasons, I don't feel comfortable devoting a whole review to a book I don't recommend. However, I thought about it and decided that there are enough books I don't write about that are good and deserve to be mentioned and it couldn't hurt to mention when I don't recommend a book (and my nefarious reasons why), so I am looking forward to trying this new series, which will start this weekend. This month you guys will get a double dose, because it will cover both January and February. Yeehaw!

Also, you may be seeing more lists in general for the next couple of months. Have I abandoned reading? God forbid! Am I becoming lazy? I wish... You see I am going to be working as a student editor on my college's fiction magazine. *dies and goes to heaven* I am super excited about that, but it may cut into my blogging time. *undies and comes back to Earth* I will try my best to post something every week, but it may not be a review. I have several ideas for posts, so hopefully I won't bore you anymore than usual. (Likewise, if I drop off of the face off the Internet for a few days, don't fear. I will just be up to my eyeballs pouring over submissions, not abduced by intergalactic aliens. And if I am abducted by aliens, well, then, well, we won't go there...)

Finally, I have a fun announcement and challenge for you. *rubs hands together* My friend Penguins recently blogged about a challenge in which you are supposed to answer a series of questions using the titles of songs performed by your favorite band. I am a rabid, obnoxious, obsessed megafan of the most awesome, excellent, amazing acidtripping band in history. That would be Pink Floyd, in case you were wondering. I go around listening to, quoting, and reciting random trivia about them constantly (What? Why are you looking at me like that? No! Don't flee from me with a look of terror on your face! WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY?! I am not going to attack you with my love of Pink Floyd. Why, I am as sane as Syd Barrett. :D) I did my list (though I had to be weaselly and answer a question falsely with the true answer implied. Don't judge me!) and decided to post it as a sidebar on my blog, entitled "My Life...According To Pink Floyd". It is at the bottom, right under the interview that I most certainly did not conduct with myself. *cough* Have fun laughing at my stupidity, try your own version with your own favorite band (can't be Pink Floyd), and check out Penguins' excellent blog while you're at it. Thanks, Penguins! :) *continues scattering psychedelic rock and penguin pixie dust across blog*

Sorry for the length of this. If you read it all, you deserve a cookie. And if you caught the two Pink Floyd references I slipped in there, then you can eat your pudding before you eat your meat. *hands chocolate chip cookies out*

Therese Raquin

Therese Raquin lives a sheltered life in 19th century Paris, married to her spoiled, invalid cousin Camille and tending shop with her passive-aggressive mother-in-law. Her only joy comes on Thursday evenings when her husband's friend Laurent, a selfish, talentless slacker painter, comes by to visit. Swept off her feet by Laurent primarily because, well, primarily because he's not boring Camille, Therese slowly comes out of her self-imposed shell. When circumstances threaten to keep Therese and Laurent apart, the two become frantic and decide that there is only one way to stay together - murder. Camille is easily disposed of in an "accidental" drowning; the specter of his memory, however, is not so obliging to the murderers. Tormented by nightmares and driven to the brink of insanity with guilt, Therese and Laurent soon realize that Camille is far more a menace to their happiness as a corpse than he ever was while alive...

I first read about this book in an online interview with Kate Winslet. (I get book suggestions from the strangest places...) In the interview, Winslet was asked what her favorite novel was and why. She said Therese Raquin and the plot description piqued my interest. So me being a nosy sort, I just had to read this Emile Zola novel myself. Fortunately, Winslet did not let me down! (There's a reason she's one of my favorite actresses.) I loved Therese Raquin and couldn't wait to share it with you guys. Unfortunately, I had to put it on the backburner as a backup review, but this week when I am assaulted with tests and essays and lots of snow (Pity me! Pity me!) is the perfect chance to blog about this fascinating psychological revenge thriller.

This novel is a great read, because it is so intense! The plot is a little slow to begin with, specifically prior to Camille's murder, but once the dirty deed is done, the pacing and suspense are superb. Zola crafts a highly original "revenge" tale that is bone-chilling and addictive all the way up to the heart pounding finale. Therese and Laurent's guilt is realistic and their resulting comeuppance is both wickedly funny and somewhat heartbreaking. Zola intended this as a psychological character study; as a result, the book reflects a very keen understanding of the human mind. The plot is masterfully crafted, as well. The plot complications occur from the character's own actions, rather than artificial outside sources (ARGGH! A huge pet peeve of mine), and everything ties in perfectly.

I found this book quite readable, without the complex style that some find daunting in 19th century literature. I have read criticisms that complain that Zola's frequent repetition of certain words and phrases is monotonous; I think these critics are missing Zola's point. I believe Zola's word choice was a stylistic approach intentionally used to build a claustrophobic atmosphere that greatly adds to the suspense. The narration can be a bit vague at times, due to this, but Zola excels at creating an ominous atmosphere and rendering his characters' emotions authentically.

We've all read stories with similar plots to this - two lovers conspire to murder one's spouse. Rarely do these tales portray the emotions and aftereffects of these circumstances as well as this novel does. Therese Raquin is a powerful read that is diabolically plotted. This is a novel that will haunt you long after you are finished with it...not unlike Camille's corpse.

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Next Week: Probably Davis Grubb's The Night of the Hunter. I guarantee nothing, though. I may hit you with some historical fiction, instead.

The Red Badge of Courage

I think it would be fair to say that we’ve all had at least one moment of epic cowardice in our lives. You know…one of those moments where you totally wimp out and run away from your problem rather than facing it, whether your problem is the SATs or that big bully down the street. And, usually, that wimping out moment stays with you for life. You constantly berate yourself, “I could’ve, should’ve, would’ve done it this way…” We’ve all been there, right? Well, welcome to Henry Fielding’s world.

The whole shame from cowardice complex is the major theme of Stephen Crane’s classic The Red Badge of Courage. In this novel, young Union soldier Henry Fleming runs from the battlefield in a moment of panic. He spends a lot of time agonizing over his actions, tries to justify his actions to himself, and then realizes that he can’t justify his actions. Henry is then motivated to redeem himself in battle to pacify his nagging conscience. I have always liked this novel. I first read it when I was eleven and recently decided to reread it. Crane is considered one of the first psychological realists in fiction, and for good reason: His description of Henry’s shame, halfhearted excuses, and mental self-berating is very believable, even if you have no way to relate to his battlefield experiences. Not to say that Crane isn’t adept at straightforward narration as well. Quite a few of the battle scenes are very intense. Crane also writes with a more direct style than most 19th century writers…you won’t get lost under a mountain of adverbs and adjectives with him. I love wordy writers, but Crane’s conciseness adds to the realism of his work and makes it much easier to read. My only issue was that some of the dialogue is a bit stilted and cliched, especially some of the officers. (Their lines sometimes sound like they come from a very stereotypical Disney cartoon about the Civil War.)

Although I liked this novel, I have talked to many people who can’t stand it. I believe you have to approach this novel with the right frame of mind. Don’t read this book expecting tons of dramatic action. The dramatic tension comes from Henry’s mental wrestling, not the battle. Therefore, there is a lot of narration dwelling on Henry’s thoughts, rather than his actions. I know this drives some readers crazy, but Crane is very effective at writing this kind of narration. I think Crane could be considered the forerunner of more complex, later psychological writers. If you like psychological novels, but find experimental stream of consciousness novels, a la Faulkner, impossible, try Crane. I really love Faulkner, but Crane is much more accessible.

The Red Badge of Courage is a powerful mediation on shame, courage, and cowardice. It’s easy to relate to Henry. If you go into this novel with the right frame of mind, you’ll find that a good book awaits.

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Scott suggested I start giving teasers of my next reviews. I thought this was a splendid idea, so I am very excited to announce that next week I will be reviewing Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal! (I do always have a backup book, just in case I can’t get around to the one I want to review. If I don’t get to finish Going Postal, I’ll throw an Agatha Christie review together at the last minute.) But I hope I don’t have to resort to that, because I really, really, really want to review the Pratchett novel.

I also have a question for you guys. Well, several questions. Adding the previews led me to also consider adding some more gadgets to my blog, such as links to some of my favorite book websites and to genre specific websites (like mysteries, sci fi, fantasy, etc.), feeds from the NY Times’ Bestseller lists and prominent book awards (Man Booker Prize, National Book Awards, Penn Faulkner Awards, Pulitzer Prize Awards, etc.), more of my favorite book quotes, and maybe even a link where you can reach my via e-mail (someone wanted to comment but didn’t have a Google account to do so.) It will probably be some time before I can do any of this, because I like to plot, mull, ponder, scheme, and brood before I make a decision. But I’m a big believer in getting second, third, and fourth opinions, so I am interested in what you guys think. Would these features interest you or not? Any other suggestions to aid me in my plotting, mulling, pondering, scheming, and brooding? I really do appreciate all of you for reading and commenting and I want y’all to be happy with zellakate, so let me know if you have any ideas for things I could add to my blog!

The Trial

Could you imagine spending the rest of your life trying to prove yourself innocent of a crime that you didn't commit? Could you imagine trying to prove yourself innocent when you're not even sure what you've been charged with? This nightmare, besides sounding like a Doomsday version of the US court system, is the premise of Franz Kafka's The Trial.

I'd read Kafka's short stories (and absolutely loved them) before reading this novel. I love Kafka's style. His writing is meticulous and formal, but always engaging. Kafka, who was a lawyer by profession, excelled at writing "legalese" - official-sounding double-speak. Kafka's unique style and his skill in writing droning bureaucratic dialogue certainly adds to the realism of The Trial. This novel is very tense and almost suffocating, which is funny because the pacing is actually rather slow. That being said, the book's tension isn't based on high-speed action; the plot is fueled more by psychological suspense. Kafka creates a very atmospheric tale of suspense and confusion.

As much as I enjoy Kafka's style and atmosphere, I didn't like Joseph K. - the main character who tries to fight the mysterious Court that has charged him with an unknown crime. Conceited and petulant, Joseph is not easy to sympathize with. Kafka, however, is a talented enough writer that I still had to find out what happened to Joseph, whether or not I liked him.

I'm not going to deny it - The Trial is a bizarre book. This novel will certainly not appeal to everyone's taste. Don't expect this book to be a jaunty thrill-ride about a charming but roguish hero out to clear his good name. Expect a complex, murky riddle about a complex, and somewhat, murky protagonist out to clear his name, and you'll be in a better frame of mind to enjoy this book. The Trial is a fascinating literary non-sequitur; this depiction of an insane bureaucracy run amok is far more disturbing than more simplistic stories about a quest for justice.