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.
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
Looked it up, the cover intrigues me, so maybe. I was actually thinking about Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ( got my dad into them, yeah they would fall into that category. I think so would Gone Girl, which is also on the ever-growing maybe list, especially since the movie is coming this summer.)
ReplyDeleteI loved The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I do not usually read this genre because it tends to give me nightmares but this book sounds interesting. If it is anything like The Historian I am sure that I will love it.
ReplyDeleteyou say that it has clippings, notes and web pages. This may sound like a stupid question, but are they attached? I've run into some books that have little pockets with things stuffed inside. Since part of my job currently is clerical, it is difficult for me to see the creative artistic side to those inclusions, I tend to see the more mundane problem of needing to match up the "stuff" with the contents label.
ReplyDeleteKeith,
DeleteWe're running into that problem at my library now with J.J.Abrams' new book S. It has lots of stuff: postcards, maps, letters, etc. tucked into the book. It's a nightmare for the circ staff when they check the book back in. Our adult services librarian debated about adding the book to our collection but she ended up purchasing it because of the great demand for the book.