Thriller Annotation

Night Film: A Novel by Marisha Pessl

Summary:

Investigative reporter, Scott McGrath, has been following the career of horror filmmaker, Stanislas Cordova, for years. Controversial Cordova makes films so frightening they had to be released independently and are only shown through secret viewings of loyal Cordovites. The reclusive Cordova hasn’t been seen in public in years , and his private estate, “The Peak”, is surrounded by grisly and horrific rumors. When Cordova’s beautiful and gifted 24-year-old daughter is found dead after an apparent suicide, McGrath decides to solve the mystery once and for all.

 Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Appeals:

Pacing – Quick and compelling pacing with new layers unveiled throughout the book.

Characterization – Descriptions of McGrath and Cordova make them feel like real people. Pressl also does justice to secondary characters, McGrath’s assistants Nora Halliday and Hopper. Cordova’s daughter, Ashley, is mysterious and readers want to finish the story to see what happened to her.

Storyline – Night Film is a mystery and a psychological thriller. Even at the end, readers are left with more questions than answers.

Tone/Mood – The overall mood of this book is dark, chilling, and a bit gothic leaving the reader feeling uneasy. There are some light-hearted moments in the interactions of McGrath and Halliday. While the descriptions are creepy, there is no gore or out-right horror.

Style/Language – Using an assortment of documents (newspaper clippings, notes, web pages, photographs) to help tell the story, Pressl has created a book that feels realistic. The descriptions of Cordova’s films almost feels like they are real movies.

Frame/Setting – Contemporary, New York

 Read Alikes:

 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larrson

 NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

 The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

 Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon

 

Sample Annotation - Week 2

The Fault In Our Stars: John Green


Summary:
Hazel Grace Lancaster is a 16-year old with terminal cancer. To deal with her depression, she attends a weekly support group for kids with cancer. There she meets a fellow cancer survivor and future love, Augustus Waters, simply known as Gus. In order to make Hazel’s dream come true, Gus arranges a trip for the two of them to Amsterdam to hunt down the author of Hazel’s favorite book. What happens next is not what either of them expected.

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Appeals:

Pacing –No fast-paced action, but still compelling so that readers want to keep turning the pages. Readers can jump right into the story from the first page instead of waiting to get pulled in after several chapters.
Characterization – Fully-developed main characters that teens can relate to. Green also shines at creating secondary characters.
Storyline – First and foremost, The Fault in Our Stars is a love story. Travel, illness, death, and grief are all important parts of the story, but the focus is on Hazel and Gus’s relationship.
Tone/Mood –Although dealing with a difficult subject, the writing is light-hearted and funny at times, but other times hard-hitting with an emotional punch. The book is about loss, illness, and grief, and overcoming obstacles we cannot change.
Style/Language – Written in the first person, this book is literary fiction. It uses smart humor, interesting vocabulary, and poetic phrasing, but yet is very readable and compelling. This book has massive cross-over appeal for adults.
Frame/Setting – Contemporary setting in Indianapolis with travel to Amsterdam

Read Alikes:
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (First Relationships)
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (First Relationships)
Before I Die by Jenny Downham (Illness/Grief)
If I Stay by Gayle Foreman (Illness/Grief, First Relationships)
Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (Illness/Grief, Smart Humor)
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Loss/Grief)
Me Since You by Laura Wiess (publication Feb. 18, 2014) (Loss/Grief)
Winger by Andrew Smith (Smart Humor, Loss/Grief)

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