Movie: High Tension

Let me start off by saying that I have simply no idea what this film is all about. All I see is a tough looking, alpha female holding a barbwire stick and looking mean enough to hack anyone who's crossed her path. I watched this film through an app on my iPhone and the blurb simply stated that this is a French film about two young women whose intention is to visit a countryside for vacation but an unexpected visitor has ruined their wonderful vacation. Sounds thrilling to me, I had initially thought, but once I was into the film there was no turning back for me, no matter how horrific and/or bloody it seems. 

The film begins with a scene of a woman in a hospital gown; her back is filled with stitches and she is whispering to herself. She has vague memories of a woman running from something (or someone) in a forest and her stomach is wounded. 

Back to a new scene, we see two happy young women in a car heading to somewhere else. Their names are Marie and Alex, and their destination is to Alex's parents' house at a countryside. They have decided to stay there for their college break and a quiet countryside sounds appealing; plus it is Alex's family. 

That night, before Marie settles into bed, she thought she hears something in the house. The film moves on to show Alex's father answering to a doorbell and someone bulky wearing a cap slashed at his face. Filled with blood and in pain, Alex's father crawls back into the house but is stopped by the killer when he presses Alex's father's head between two rails of the staircase and then shoves the bookcase towards him. Needless to say, Alex's father is gone with his head decapitated. At this point, I knew where this film is going and that it would be filled with more gore and violence but yet I couldn't stop myself from watching it. I wanted to find out what happened to the family and whether or not if Marie and/or Alex would be hurt or worse, killed by this sadistic killer. 

True enough, there was more gore and violence as Alex's mother is the next victim as her throat was brutally slashed. Seeing both Alex's parents dead, Marie goes off to find Alex but she is too late - for Alex is chained  in her bedroom but she promises her that she would call for help. Unfortunately, the line was cut and Alex's younger brother is the next to go, as the killer shot him after he realized he has gone into the cornfield. 

Feeling satisfied that he didn't find anyone except Alex in the house, the killer proceeds to haul her into his old van and make his escape but Marie manages to creep into the van before he drove off. They travelled down a deserted road and just when Marie thought they would be dead, the killer stops at a gas station and Marie decides that this would be the best time to call for help and stop the killer, but she is dead wrong. 

Filled with intensity as the title of this film suggest, this story is about a sadistic psychopath who would not stop at anything just to get his 'prize'. Aside from the gore and violence (be warned - there are lots of them), I felt that this is a classic slasher movie and that it has delved into the character as well as the complexities of the killer. Sometimes, what you see is not what you expect and High Tension had stumped me in many ways, not only the gore, violence, the ending but also the psychology as well. Though this is an old film (released in 2003, AKA Switchblade Romance), this is one of those films that would stay in your mind for a long while; which I find is a good thing to me for I don't have the intention to watch it, again. It was too horrific to me.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

ISBN-13: 9780307588364
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Publication Date: June 2012
Format: Hardcover, 432 pgs
Source: Personal Library

The first time I read Gillian Flynn's first release, Sharp Objects, I knew I have found a new favourite author as I find her writing simply mesmerizing and   her plot totally blown me away. So it was no surprise I bought her next release, Dark Places, when it released in October 2010 but I put this book aside as I tried to catch up with some of my TBR books as well as a few other books which were raved by my blogging buddies. Dark Places remains in my TBR pile until Gilian Flynn's next book, Gone Girl was released three months ago and I decided to read Gone Girl first after reading so many starred reviews on it. 

And it is no surprise why this book has received such tremendous great reviews as I find the premise to be so clever and well crafted! One plus one equals to two but this logic doesn't always seems to be the case in Gone Girl. An overview of this story is about the disappearance of a wife on her fifth wedding anniversary but what made this story such an unputdownable read is the characterisations and how these two narrators draw you in from their perspectives and you just don't know who and what to believe. 

At its core, this is a psychological thriller that seems bizarre but strangely I find it to be believable and yes, scary in a sense that it makes you think about humanity and what someone would do under certain circumstances. I wish I could elaborate more but this is a book that should be relished without any prior knowledge of its plot; it is best that you don't read the blurb printed on the flap of the book jacket either. Excellent prose, great suspense and even greater psychological insight, this is one of the very best thrillers I read thus far and I hope Gillian Flynn will have a new release out soon. Meanwhile, I have Dark Places to be devoured during the waiting. 

Broken Harbour by Tana French

ISBN-13: 978-0340977637
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: July 2012
Format: Trade Paperback, 544 pgs
Source: Personal Library

Broken Harbour is the 4th installment of Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad Series. Her first book, In the Woods, has received many good reviews from readers and up to now, I still couldn't get that plot out of my mind. 

This time around, Tana French brought us to Brianstown (formerly known as 'Broken Harbour' to the residents living there); a ghostlike town where the residents would rather mind their own business and stay locked at home than going outdoors.  

Brianstown is supposed to be quiet, but now that peace is disrupted after a family was murdered. Patrick Spain and his two young children are dead, while the wife, Jenny is in intensive care. Detective Mick Kennedy and his rookie partner, Detective Richie Curran are assigned to this case and they learnt that Patrick was laid off. Their initial speculation is that Patrick was stressed and decided to kill them all before killing himself, but there are a few things that they have found and couldn't explain. For starters, why there are so many baby monitors lying around the house and why are there holes in the walls? Did someone break into the house and killed them all? If that is the case, then why didn't the Spain family reported to the police? Did they have something to hide, and what is it?  

As Mike investigates the case, he couldn't help but to think of his mother's suicide back in Broken Harbour when he was a boy when they went there for a summer vacation. He has been trying hard not to think of that past but this case has once again opened up his wounds and have his sister, Dina, off the rails as her mental state is a little unstable. 

Although Mike's past has nothing to do with his investigations, Tana French shows her readers the other side of Mike and how behind Mike's sharp, intelligent mind and being a star detective and all, he is simply an ordinary person just like you and me. This psychological aspect, aside from the police procedural part, is the highlight of this intense thriller and I have to say this is the best installment I read among the series to date. What I could say without spoiling the story, is that the ending had me totally stumped and I hope Tana French will write a sequel to this. I wish I could say more but this is it.  

In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami and... Japanese Literature Challenge 5

ISBN-13: 9780747578888
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published: February 2006 (new edition)
192 pgs
Source: Personal Library
Translated by: Ralph McCarthy



At first glance of the cover, In The Miso Soup gave me the impression of a fiction about the Japanese culture but I knew there is something more than meets the eye with that cartoony image of a bowl of miso soup that looks like blood and reading the blurb confirmed my initial speculations of the book.

The story opens with the narrator introducing himself as a sex tour guide for foreigners and that he has no qualms about his job. However this does not mean that twenty-year-old Kenji is an insensitive and a selfish person; he does take pride in his job and he treasures his relationship with his sixteen-year-old girlfriend Jun.

Just before New Year's Day, he receives a telephone call from an American named Frank. Frank wants Kenji to take him on a guided tour of Tokyo's sleazy nightlife for three nights and the money is too good for Kenji to pass up despite he has promised to spend the time with Jun.

When he meets up with Frank, the latter gives him the impression that something isn't quite right from his behaviour and on top of that, the things he said earlier doesn't seem to match when they have the same conversation the next time. With the recent case of a high school girl being hacked and the murderer is still at large, Kenji suddenly has this terrible thought that Frank might be the murderer.

In The Miso Soup is a highly intense psychological thriller I have ever read in a long time. I would compare my reading experience of this book to riding a roller coaster; the story seems to be moving at a moderate pace right from the beginning with the introduction of Kenji and then moving on to Frank's. The pace quickened towards the middle of the book and I have to say I'd never forget one terribly shocking scene when the author described in details how a few victims were gruesomely cut and left to die. If this story is to be told on the big screen I don't think I'd be able to watch it. I personally think that that scene is the climax of the story and that once I get past that, everything seems to be falling into place, literally.

But what I find so intriguing about this book is not the plot but the message behind it as it touches on subjects like moral corruption, lack of identity and then the loneliness one feels without the love and support of a family. Each of this issue poses a problem on its own but add them all up together and may become a psychological issue. Another subject that is thought-provoking is the "compensated dating" among Japanese high school girls. I can't judge them all, but what they do and the difficulties they encounter really makes me sad.

In the Miso Soup is not an easy read for me subject-wise but one that would definitely leave a deep impression on me given the author's straight-to-the-point writing style and one particularly gruesome scene.

---

Now that we are on the topic of Japanese literary, I'd like to bring your attention to the Japanese Literature Challenge 5 hosted by the lovely Dolce Bellezza. The requirement is to read one book from June 1, 2011 until January 30, 2012 but of course it'd be wonderful if you want to read more than one book.

I'm definitely joining and the book I'm most likely to read will be The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto. I hope you'd join in the fun too!

A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott

ISBN-13: 9780440223016
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: December 1996
368 pgs
Source: Personal Library

Do you know that Louisa May Alcott had written A Long Fatal Love Chase two years before the publication of her well-known, beloved Little Women? Considered too sensational to be published in the author's lifetime (that was in 1866), this book was buried among her other papers and in 1993, this caught the attention of editor, Kent Bicknell, and through good fortune and a generous backer enabled him to purchase it the following year (This information was printed on the last page of the book).

18-year-old Rosamond Vivian lives with her grandfather in a remote island. There isn't any mention of her parents or friends so it is no wonder she hopes to escape this lonely, isolated life of her.

"I'd gladly sell my soul to Satan for a year of freedom," cries impetuous Rosamond Vivian to her callous grandfather.

Her wish was granted when a sauve, charismatic adventurer Phillip Tempest stopped by their house. Phillip was a student of Rosamond's grandfather so needless to say, he is twice of her age but this does not stop Rosamond from being attracted to him and on top of that, she is fascinated by his adventures as he always seems to be travelling in his yacht.

On the other end, Phillip too is attracted by Rosamond's charm and naivety, but his intentions are far more dark and dangerous because he is obsessed with her and he wants her to be with him together. Through a game with Rosamond's grandfather, he has cleverly beaten him and his prize is having Rosamond to leave with him. Initially Rosamond rejected the idea, however she is no match to the sweet-talker Phillip so in no time she left the island to be with him, having the thoughts that Phillip will marry her eventually. They settled down in Nice, and it takes a while for Rosamond to discover that not only Phillip has no plans to marry her but also he is a married man and has a son whom she later suspected he was being murdered by Phillip in a fit of anger.

Shocked and frightened for her safety, Rosamond planned for an escape. From gaining a new identity to becoming a sister in a convent as she travels around Europe, and no matter where she goes Phillip always managed to close the distance between them. Rosamond flees again and found a new life through a friend's father during the escape, but her hope of finding safety and freedom is once again dashed after Phillip began to spin lies about her, telling everyone that she is mentally unstabled.

At the point of reading the above scenario, I got the feeling that it would be a dead end to Rosamond, and that there is no hope of redemption for Phillip although Rosamond has secretly wishes that she would be able to reform him but I was not convinced, and most of all I didn't trust him and at some point I was frustrated with Rosamond for thinking she has some feelings for him. It was only later that I realised that that is the beauty of Rosamond; she has a pure and childlike naivety around her and perhaps this is what attracted Phillip from the beginning.

In most cases, when there is a villian to the story, there is bound to be a hero. Rosamond got acquainted with Father Ignatius when she took refuge in the convent where she's known as "Sister Agatha". Rosamond began to develop feelings for him towards the end but his position as a priest is the obstacle. Although A Long Fatal Love Chase can be classified as a gothic thriller, I see the author had also emphasised a strong feminist element to the story as we can tell this from Rosamond's thoughts right from the beginning. She craves for freedom, and she has no fear in obtaining what she wants. I was definitely in awe of her courage and persistence, for I don't think most women during her time would do the same as what she did. Below passage is one fine example that demonstrate her believing in feminism.

"Suppose I broke away and left you, or made it impossible for you to stay. That I was base and false; in every way unworthy of your love, and it was clearly right for you to go, what would you do then?"

"Go away and–"

He interrupted with a triumphant laugh, "Die as heroines always do, tender slaves as they are."

"No, live and forget you", was the unexpected reply.
(Page 62-63)

The ending is not what I had expected, but I can definitely see myself reading more of Louisa May Alcott's books in the near future.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

ISBN-13: 9780061807404
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: August 2009
400 pgs
Source: Personal Library

I have seen this book around when it was first released, but did not get it at that time, and looking back now I really regretted for not picking it up earlier!

Anyway, Shutter Island is a story about two US Marshals who are on a mission to investigate the disappearance of a patient named Rachel Solando in Shutter Island, where the Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane is situated. Rachel is considered as one of the dangerous patients at the Ashecliffe Hospital, for she is a multiple murderess and not to mention very mentally disturbed. No one knows how she managed to escape barefooted from a locked cell, and what most puzzled is where could she go in the remote island? That is where Edward "Teddy" Daniels and his partner Chuck Aule come in, and they will have to find every means to uncover the missing person case.

However, it is definitely not easy to solve the case with the threatening hurricane but what is most challenging is getting the hospital staff to cooperate, and some cryptic clues which Rachel has left behind before her disappearance. To make things more complicated, Teddy is still deeply traumatised by the days during the Cold War when he was a soldier, but what most affected him is Andrew Laeddis, the man who set his house on fire that led to the death of his wife. He believes Andrew is in Ashecliffe Hospital and hence this is another reason why he is set to find all the answers in Shutter Island.

As Teddy and Chuck continue to track down clues, it began to dawn on them that things might not seem what it is at Ashecliffe Hospital, and they might not be able to leave the island in the end.

Shutter Island is one of the most intense psychological thriller I have read in a while. It is a suspenseful read, one filled with twists and turns and more questions are raised than answered. I totally enjoyed the reading journey as every page I turned, the anticipation kept on growing until I was totally blown away by the ending. The most thrilling part of this story is, you just could not know who to trust, considering the setting is at Ashecliffe Hospital where they kept the dangerous and mentally disturbed patients at bay. Anyone could be a threat or are lying, whether or not if they are sick in the mind or not, and to me that is the scariest part.

After reading this thriller, I am definitely going to look out the other releases by Dennis Lehane. And of course, I have to watch the film adaptation which is opening next month. I hope it will not disappoint.

(Click here to read what readers have said about this book.)

The Girl Next Door By Jack Ketchum

ISBN-13: 9780843960976

Publisher: Leisure Books
Published: January 2008
370 pgs
Movie Tie-In Edition
Source: Personal Library

This is a horror book. No, it does not have anything to do with ghosts, zombies or anything that goes bump in the night. It is a horror story about a very sick family and what they do to a pair of helpless young girls.

The Girl Next Door is told in a first person POV, under the narrative of the main protagonist, David. The story begins with an intriguing opening when an older David speak of his past.

You think you know about pain?

From there, David share with us about his life in the suburban during the 50s, as well as his childhood friends and the Chandler family. David first met fourteen-year-old Meg when he went fishing for crayfish by the brook. She was the prettiest girl he has ever seen, despite she is two years his senior. They became friends quickly, and he learnt she is staying with Ruth Chandler together with her younger sibling, Susan, after their parents' death in a horrific automobile accident. Ruth and their parents are distant cousins and it seem natural that both Meg and Susan are under her care considering they have no other relatives.

David knew the Chandler family well, after all he is close friends with Ruth's children, Donny, Willie and Woofer. Being a single parent and now having to look after five children, Ruth's unhappiness and rage increases as the time passes (and not to mention she gets a little sick in the mind), and she began to take her anger out on her new charges as she physically and mentally abuse them.

David is not aware of the abuse in the beginning, after all Ruth did it discreetly and Meg does not share their problems with anyone. However, the abuse began to worsen when Ruth seem to allow her children to abuse the two girls and to the stage where she does not care if David is there to witness everything.

Though David loathes what Ruth is doing to the girls, yet at the same time he is also fascinated by the notion of power one could have over someone. He became the witness, for he neither abuse nor help the girls and this behaviour finally drew him to an end. Is it too late for him to lend a helping hand to the girls finally? And what happened to Ruth and her three children in the end? All these would prompt the readers to continue reading despite the gruesome read about the abuses and torture endured by the two girls.

Frankly speaking, I did not know what to think of David in the beginning. He gave me the impression of being weak and intimidated, but as I read further, I also find him righteous, though he does not always express himself well and I wished someone had stand with him from the beginning so he would not seem so helpless (or clueless).

I liked the narrative setting between the older David and the younger David. Though the older David narrates only once in a while in some chapters, this actually reflects about his past life and how he had really felt then.

The Girl Next Door is a powerful book; one that simple leave me speechless when I turned the last page of the book. I cannot remember when was the last time a book has ever left this kind of feelings in me, where I felt horrified, angry, and sad at the same time. I quite liked the ending, though it leave you wondering about certain aspects (for this I will not reveal), but I think it also works well if you look from a different perspective.

This book also contains two short stories and an interview with the author. Based on the book cover and the interview, I knew there is a film adaptation but I have not watched it, have you?

Other review:

Unmainstream Mom Reads

(Let me know if I missed yours.)

In the Woods

ISBN-13: 9780340924761
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: November 2007
592 pp



First sentence: Picture a summer stolen whole from some coming-of-age film set in small-town 1950s.

In 1984 in a small suburb in Dublin, three twelve-year-old children wandered into the woods and only one managed to walk out alive. The boy has no memory, nor any clue to the disappearance of his other two friends, except his blood-stained sneakers when he was found gripping a tree trunk, terrified. The two children could not be found.

Twenty years later, that boy is now known as Detective Rob Ryan and working in Dublin Murder Squad. No one knows about his secret past except his partner and best friend, Cassie Maddox. When they are summoned to investigate a murder case of a twelve-year-old girl, Katy Devlin, who was found at the local archeological dig, it eerily reminds Ryan about the unsolved case of his two childhood friends, Peter Savage and Germaine Rowan.

To add complexity to the case, there is something about the Devlin's family that arouse the two detectives' suspicions, and then there is the Move the Motorway Campaign which Katy's father, Jonathan is an outspoken member against the project. Ryan knows his career will be over if his superior finds out about his identity, but he is very determined to solve the case, and most of all he is hoping to find some answers to the case which happened twenty years ago.

In the Woods is a highly addictive read as I was drawn into Tana French well-woven debut story involving Detective Ryan's childhood and the taut pacing murder case of Katy Devlin. The chemistry between Ryan and Maddox is another interesting read; as both of them have their dark past and issues to deal with. There is also a psychological element in this story, which had led me to ponder about each characters' minds and their behaviours.

This book is also the winner of the 2007 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. I cannot wait to read The Likeness, where in this next sequel, Detective Cassie Maddox will take the lead of another intriguing case.


Other review:
Bookgirl's Nightstand
Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?