On the Shelf: Mother, Mother

Friday, 11 October 2013

MOTHER, MOTHER | Koren Zailckas | Crown | September 2013

Josephine Hurst has her family under control. With two beautiful daughters, a brilliantly intelligent son, a tech-guru of a husband and a historical landmark home, her life is picture perfect. She has everything she wants; all she has to do is keep it that way. But living in this matriarch’s determinedly cheerful, yet subtly controlling domain hasn’t been easy for her family, and when her oldest daughter, Rose, runs off with a mysterious boyfriend, Josephine tightens her grip, gradually turning her flawless home into a darker sort of prison. Resentful of her sister’s newfound freedom, Violet turns to eastern philosophy, hallucinogenic drugs, and extreme fasting, eventually landing herself in the psych ward. Meanwhile, her brother Will shrinks further into a world of self-doubt. Recently diagnosed with Aspergers and epilepsy, he’s separated from the other kids around town and is homeschooled to ensure his safety. Their father, Douglas, finds resolve in the bottom of the bottle—an addict craving his own chance to escape. Josephine struggles to maintain the family’s impeccable façade, but when a violent incident leads to a visit from child protective services, the truth about the Hursts might finally be revealed.

"A family is a tyranny ruled over by its weakest member." - George Bernard Shaw

Most books about families focus on how those people interact with each other. Mother, Mother takes a different approach and introduces us to extremely different characters - yes, all members of the same family - that are completely independent from one another.

Josephine, the mother, is lost in her own world, obsessed with making her life (and her family) look perfect. Rose, the eldest daughter, has run away from home and is tangled in a web of dreams, boys, and buried secrets. Violet, the youngest daughter, has turned to eastern religions and psychedelic drugs to find some sort of escape. Douglas, the father, found his comfort in alcohol but is struggling to pretend it doesn't exist. Will, the son, makes as much sense of his surroundings as he possible can after being diagnosed with Aspergers and epilepsy. Each member of the Hurst family has secrets to hide and decisions to make that keep all of them selfish.

There are little hints throughout the book that suggest there's something not quite right with Josephine. She's certainly overbearing and too protective of her children, but it's impossible to decide just what exactly she's doing wrong. After a mishap involving all (or most) members of the family, Violet is sent to a psych ward and Will's hand is wrapped in bandages. No one seems to know exactly what happened that night and the stories become even more confusing as you turn the pages of the book. You don't know who to trust or what to believe.

I really liked Violet's character. Her past is rocky, but her reasons for following various eastern religious practices (and taking them to the extreme) are fascinating. The chapters from her point of view were the ones I looked forward to the most - she narrates from the psych ward, oblivious to what's happening in her own home or the details of what happened the night she was sent to the hospital. Will is equally compelling as he tries to do everything exactly as his mother says. Josephine's manipulative personality is shown through Will's thought process and eventual actions, creating a compelling example of the bond between mother and son.

Mother, Mother is a fast-paced read that will keep you guessing until the end. It's a character-driven story with an intriguing plot. If you like psychological thrillers and issues of the mind, then this is a book for you.

comments | | Read More...

On the Shelf: Night Film

Monday, 2 September 2013

NIGHT FILM | MARISHA PESSL | RANDOM HOUSE | AUGUST 2013

On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova—a man who hasn’t been seen in public for more than thirty years. For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova’s dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself. Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova’s eerie, hypnotic world.

Writing a review for Night Film is difficult. The book is filled with clues and plot twists. Even after reading, it's impossible to decide what is a spoiler and what is safe to tell future readers. I fell into the story after reading the first scene and Pessl held my attention until the very last page. The pages of Night Film are covered with fascinating words and visual clues in the form of websites, magazine spreads, photographs, and handwritten letters. All these things create the story of Stanislas Cordova and his family, a bloodline made so real by Pessl's imagination that you'll soon believe they exist in our contemporary world.

This was my first time reading Marisha Pessl. I love the way she writes. At times, the story is simple and to the point. Other sections are more literary, filled with philosophical dialogue and thoughts. She uses italics way more than any other writer I've encountered, adding emphasis to speech and narration in all the right places. Night Film casts a spell on the reader. It was like time stopped as I read the book over a few days. All that I could think of was getting lost in the story once again.

On top of the excellent writing and fast-paced story, Night Film is also interactive. Random House has made an app for the book that emerges the reader even further into the story. I've read some negative feedback about the idea of apps and books merging into one, but the multimedia component of Night Film is so discreet that one can easily read the book without ever knowing an app exists. However, for those who do take advantage of the bonus content, prepare yourself for music, speeches, movie posters, and documents that make the story more tangible and less fictional.

I want the Cordova family to be real. I want to watch the cult horror films and attend the underground screenings. I want to purchase the movie posters and hang them on my apartment walls. I wish the Cordova family really did have a house in New York where the strangest rumours originated. I'll take their reality television stories over anything actually on cable. Marisha Pessl has created a deeply layered story so powerful that I'm tempted to think of her as the Cordova of our time - all negative connotations aside. Read this book.

"My films are just stories. But that's all we have.

The stories we tell others and the stories we tell ourselves."

- Stanislas Cordova

comments | | Read More...

On the Shelf: The Collector

Wednesday, 12 December 2012

THE COLLECTOR | JOHN FOWLES | RANDOM HOUSE | 1963

Hailed as the first modern psychological thriller, The Collector is the internationally bestselling novel that catapulted John Fowles into the front rank of contemporary novelists. This tale of obsessive love -- the story of a lonely clerk who collects butterflies and of the beautiful young artist who is his ultimate quarry -- remains unparalleled in its power to startle and mesmerize.

As a fan of all things horror, I knew that I had to read The Collector at some point. It's thought to be the first psychological thriller novel and I love an exploration of the human psyche. Unfortunately, The Collector didn't quite live up to the hype. While it was a good read, the story wasn't quite as exciting as I was hoping for it to be. The book dragged on, following a plot structure that has become quite well-known in contemporary stories.

It did provide a thorough character study, which is what leads me to give the book three stars. Not only does the reader learn a lot about the psychopath, but also about his victim. Fowles forces us to decide if they really are so different from one another and to consider whether they are a product of their own will or have been shaped from outside influences. 

If you're a fan of thrillers, the book is unsettling at times. Just imagining yourself in Miranda's situation is enough to creep you out. But don't expect a roller coaster ride with this book. It's quite predictable, especially if you're familiar with the thriller and mystery genres. Still, it's a classic for this type of writing and worth a read if you want to learn more about the genre's origins.

---

"He is solid; immovable, iron-willed. He showed me one day his killing bottle. I'm imprisoned in it. Fluttering against the glass. Because I can see through it I still think I can escape. I have hope. But it's all an illusion. A thick round wall of glass."

comments | | Read More...