Overview:

Whereas most books like The Good Sister rely on misdirection and plot twists to draw the reader into the work, Hepworth defies this convention by allowing the reader to see where the story is going. Instead, she takes her time getting there, creating tension through the reader’s ability to see what is happening and their inability to do anything about it. The success of Hepworth’s approach hinges on her capacity to impart the nuance of neurodivergence and the complexity of mental illness while refraining from making caricatures of characters.

Thoughts:

In a time when twists and third act reveals have become an almost compulsory component of popular fiction, The Good Sister is a breath of fresh air. The book is not without its fair share of modern conventions, but it doesn’t waste energy purposely misleading the reader. Neither does it give the reader everything up front, though. It withholds just enough to keep the reader engaged but gives just enough to create a satisfying culmination of events and an acceptable conclusion to the anxiety and anticipation it has inspired.  

Overview:

Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel Shutter Island goes beyond the idea of a mystery inside a mystery, choosing instead to delve into mysteries (plural) within the seemingly sedate locked-room curiosity at its core. Lehane does not stop there however. These mysteries contain misdirection cloaked in subplot and conspiracies that, in themselves, contain twists doused in uncertainty and speculation, until nothing is clear, particularly the nature of reality on either the grand or personal scale. Even at the very end, when everything has been revealed, there are questions that the reader may or may not choose to entertain. It all depends on the level of catharsis they demand of their fiction and the degree of closure they are willing to accept.

Thoughts:

Lehane’s Shutter Island is a well-crafted and enjoyable read, regardless of whether you approach it with blissful ignorance of its machinations or if you’ve “spoiled” the twists with Martin Scorsese’s faithful film adaptation. As is always the case, the book provides access to the inner-workings of characters that cannot be replicated on celluloid; it raises questions that don’t fully form on the silver screen. If you enjoy an engaging thriller, Shutter Island will not disappoint.

Overview:

This sequel to Stephen Graham Jones’ excellent My Heart is a Chainsaw, and middle book in his Indian Lake Trilogy,* continues the tradition Jones began long before he sat down to pen the first draft of Chainsaw a decade ago. With the now out of print Demon Theory, Jones not only started experimenting with form but also the meta-analysis of the “slasher” subgenre of horror, an undertaking that reaches near perfection with the first book in the Indian Lake Trilogy. Don’t Fear the Reaper picks up where Chainsaw left off, combining with its predecessor to present a sort of masterclass in slasher theory. Working from a comprehensive, but by no means complete, selection of films within the genre, Jones utilizes both character and plot, as well as epistolary interludes, to discuss and dissect tropes that have come to seem formulaic in the comfort of their convention. But he doesn’t stop there. Jones’ meta-awareness is compounded by his willingness to admit that what he is doing isn’t exactly new. Paying homage to a similar trend that began to take shape in the slasher films of the 1990s, he seeks to first establish the rules of the game and then subvert them in ways that are both novel and somehow familiar.

Thoughts:

Don’t Fear the Reaper is a fun read regardless of whether you are a die-hard genre fan, or if you are just dipping your toe in the water (I swear there is no one there, just below the surface, ready to grab you by the ankle and drag you down if you decide that one toe in Indian Lake isn’t quite enough). Jones provides enough twists and turns to make any familiar elements new, and he does so in a way that takes the genre beyond the well-worn cheap thrills of jump scares and gore, instead settling into a tale that is simultaneously cerebral and immensely entertaining.