From the Bookshelf of Read Between the Wines…

Night Film

Marisha Pessl

Start date: November 1, 2013

Finish date: November 30, 2013

Discussion: Book Club Discussions

Why we're reading this: This book was nominated by Jason.
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Discussion: The Diary of a Young Girl
By Jason , Cabernet Sauvignon · 7 posts · 7 views

last updated May 25, 2017 06:30AM

Discussion: Slade House
By Jason , Cabernet Sauvignon · 16 posts · 11 views

last updated Feb 17, 2017 04:44PM

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What Members Thought

Sep 05, 2013 Jason rated it really liked it

Shelves: for-kindle, wine-club, reviewed

It is often the roll your eye moments of books or movies that weaken the reading/viewing experience for me, but I have to be honest in saying that I cannot always define what exactly triggers those eye rolls. I think sometimes it is the predictability of the plot, other times the outrageousness of coincidence or lack of plausibility. If I get the impression I am being manipulated to feel a certain way, I bristle and balk. But what happens when a book commits one or more of these grave errors and It is often the roll your eye moments of books or movies that weaken the reading/viewing experience for me, but I have to be honest in saying that I cannot always define what exactly triggers those eye rolls. I think sometimes it is the predictability of the plot, other times the outrageousness of coincidence or lack of plausibility. If I get the impression I am being manipulated to feel a certain way, I bristle and balk. But what happens when a book commits one or more of these grave errors and I don’t roll my eyes? What was different that time? Did the book just happen to execute things more effectively? Did it possess some other, albeit unrelated, redeeming quality that allowed me to overlook certain flaws? Or does it really all come down to my state-of-mind at the time of reading?

I do not have the answers to these questions, but I do know that I really enjoyed Night Film—despite its main character being a bit of a retard (not to mention a lousy father), despite motivations that stem more from a sake of convenience than from any reasonable source, and despite the intrusion of the wild and zany into what is otherwise a reality-based investigative thriller.

So what did I like about this book? I liked the writing, I liked the supporting characters—not just the peripheral ones but also the ones who exist only in the ethereal sense. I enjoyed the twists and turns, which are perfectly timed and manage to prevent some elements from being revealed until the final page. I liked that not everything is ultimately revealed and I like what that says about who we are, as readers, and what we want out of a story. There may be two sides to a coin but at the end of the day it is the same coin, and maybe you need both sides to complete a picture. Or maybe that picture is never really complete because it exists in an ever-changing reality and all you can do is theorize and deduce and grab hold of whichever belief helps you sleep best at night, hoping nothing will come along later to challenge that belief, but still preparing yourself for that possibility because it almost always happens eventually, one way or the other, doesn’t it?

My apologies for the vagueness there but when you finish the book you’ll understand. Or maybe you will just roll your eyes and think, “whatever, man.” Either way. ...more

110 likes · Like · see review

Sep 22, 2013 Becky rated it it was amazing

Shelves: spooky-scary-werewolf-bar-mitzvah, swept-away-by-true-booknerd-love, needs-to-be-100-pages-shorter

For a week I dedicated every scrap of time to this book. I mean, I literally was sneaking off and reading it, and if I had honestly thought that no one at work would’ve noticed, I would have been under my desk with a pillow reading it by flashlight. I would come back from work, read it as I walked the hall to my desk, then would plug my headphones in and actually listen to the robot kindle voice read it to me. I couldn’t stop. I had to know what was happening. It was that engrossing. I haven’t For a week I dedicated every scrap of time to this book. I mean, I literally was sneaking off and reading it, and if I had honestly thought that no one at work would’ve noticed, I would have been under my desk with a pillow reading it by flashlight. I would come back from work, read it as I walked the hall to my desk, then would plug my headphones in and actually listen to the robot kindle voice read it to me. I couldn’t stop. I had to know what was happening. It was that engrossing. I haven’t been that absorbed by a book in a while, and it was refreshing, particularly because I’ve felt a bit like I was in a book slump lately.

There were so many things that I loved about this book. I loved the slow ramp-up of horror, it slowly increased your pace and you never realized that you were being led down the dark rabbit hole until it was too late, and there was only a tiny pinprick of light left filtering in from the surface. I particularly love the way the author describes minute details, it’s not cumbersome, and always sets an exact image in your head. The trio of main characters were wonderful, you really felt that you knew them, they were a collage of humanity and lost little souls seeking something intangible.

Then there were some things that drove me nuts. All the italics. Ack! I felt like I was being babysat by the author, that she was afraid I’d read her book wrong, so she italicized every fourth word. Still, I don’t know if those italicized words led to clues if you played the online game. If someone knows, tell me. Then, there were too many information dumps. They went to interview people and they would just start to blather, and, had this happened only once, this may have been acceptable but it was frequently used. This didn’t bother me as much as it should have because I was as equally obsessed with getting the story as the characters were. Had this been any less enthralling of a tale, I would have balked at using so many talking heads to deliver information.

And I had a problem with the ending. It was rambling. It went on for too long. And (view spoiler) Still, the story was a great read, and as evidenced by my four stars, I recommend you read it. It’s a great story for this time of the year.

It was a particularly excellent work for a sophomore novel. I cannot wait to see more from Pessl in the future.
...more

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Nov 07, 2013 Keryn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thrillers

Another excellent recommendation through my goodreads book club. Couldn't put it down though at times the tension was crazy. Thoroughly enjoyed the clever use of graphics and social media in a novel of this nature. Wonderful twists in the tale too. Highly recommended if you enjoy a smart thriller with a touch of fantasy, smoke and mirrors. ...more

1 like · Like · see review