Marisha Pessl

Night Film recounts former journalist Scott McGrath's search for the truth behind the seeming suicide of 24-year-old Ashley Cordova, the daughter of notorious and reclusive cult filmmaker Stanislas Cordova. As McGrath gathers clues and facts about her last few days and her mysterious father's lifestyle from a variety of sources, the reader has the chance to sift through the print and online documents along with him, a "gimmick" which may annoy some, but which I personally appreciated.

On the show more face of it, I should not really have liked this novel--which I received as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It's about horror movies (which I avoid and loathe) and, at points, about the serial murder of children (a mystery/thriller trope I also avoid and loathe). However, I did end up liking it. And I did not, ultimately, find it remarkably depressing. Part of that results from the (possibly slightly revealing, but not particularly spoilerish) fact that the ending is rather ambiguous, and my own interpretation tends toward the more innocuous possibilities. But partly it's because Pessl is very good at doing what her mysterious Cordova claims to do, revealing a tenuous balance between horror and hope and leaving it up to the audience just what the outcome is.

Does that mean this is the best novelistic attempt to work out that paradox? Well, no. Some of the characters (such as the narrator's nonethless enjoyable "sidekicks") are more single-tone and not as fully fleshed as they could have been. The story itself could have been a little shorter without sacrificing plot or atmosphere and may have been better for some additional editing with that in mind. Some coincidences are just too coincidental for my taste, regardless of whatever underhanded machinations may be said to account for them. For a first personal narrator, McGrath can at times be a little thin, and I'm not sure if I'll remember that the story was written in first person after a few days. It's not necessarily a fault in the novel, but I could tell by at least 3/4 through roughly how the ending would pan out. And, lastly, though very little violence or other potentially revolting action actually occurs "on screen," the milieu as a whole was indeed darker than I prefer.

To sum up: I was surprised by how readily and actually enjoyably I found myself absorbed by this novel, and I do find it quite effective by novelistic and genre standards. While I would not unreservedly recommend it to everyone, I do believe Night Film is a good "literary thriller" and well worth the consideration of intrigued readers. show less

I loved this book. I felt vaguely unsatisfied by the ending, but it's mainly that I didn't want it to end. The ending was so perfect though. This book was very well done. I loved the narrative style, and the additions of websites gave exposition in a mostly non-biased way. It gave the reader to learn background information that wasn't intrusive, but was fun and unique.

The character were all interesting and dynamic, and I especially loved the interactions between Scott, Nora, and Hopper. My show more ultimate affection lies in Scott, though, who finds himself on this never ending road and trying to uncover Cordova's secrets to the point of making stupid mistakes. Pursuing something so doggedly, even when the others have found their own resolution speaks to his character and determination to not be burned again, and yet he's constantly getting fucked by his own bullheadedness. When he begins to accept his lack of control is when the pieces start to fall into place.

I loved the twists and turns of this book, the pure thriller/suspense quality had me completely sucked in waiting for the trio to unmask the big reveal only to find another turn, another secret, Hopper's big secret, and so on. It could have become tired, but Pessl has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat. When they make the decision to break into the Peak, it goes from thriller to straight up horror film, and certain parts were absolutely chilling.

My ultimate favorite thing about this book is how these different characters came together. Very different people leading very different lives, who manage to become a family of sorts. Even when they go their separate ways, they still have that bond - forged by fire.

It was a fantastic book, and I'm sad it's ended. There were so many other characters I want to see explored. As Inez Gallo told Scott, 'I live in the real word, and so do you' show less

The Basics

Ashley Cordova, daughter of notorious horror director Stanslas Cordova, has committed suicide. For Scott McGrath, an investigative reporter left disgraced by loose lips regarding the Cordova empire, this raises a ton of questions. With the help of Nora and Hopper, he intends to find answers to those questions and reveal Cordova as he truly is.

My Thoughts

I am not going to make any friends with this review. I understand people love this book generally, but I really did not. Some show more gimmicky, House-of-Leaves-esque interactivity is not enough to make a book worthwhile. You need so much more that this book lacked.

For starters, you need some engaging characters that feel like real people. Pessl was very fond of giving elaborate backstories that took pages upon pages to see their end, but still managed to fail at giving any of the characters a unique voice. Every single person we encounter, whether integral to the plot or not, is a cliche. Facts are not all that make up a person’s life or even what makes them interesting. There should be a depth that reaches beyond that, and it wasn’t here, not for a single one of them.

Then there’s the writing style. It felt pretty purple for a mystery/thriller. The way that the narrator, Scott, insisted on wording his own thoughts and reaching for elaborate metaphors reminded me of a noir detective, but it wasn’t charming. Rather it seemed desperately out of place in a story meant to be set in 2011. And the italics. What was with all the italics? I imagined Scott straining on every other word, and it took me out of the prose so fast.

And the mystery. That was the one thing I was holding on to. It even took a really great turn, where things started to seem supernatural. I was so invested in simply discovering how right or wrong these assumptions were. Then it just peters out. It winds around pointlessly, scary things happen that probably weren’t real, and then it ends on the most frustrating note in human history.

I don’t want to turn this into a rant, but this was one of those times when I listened to the majority, hoping that a large group of people had to be right on some level. I don’t really know what conclusion to come to in that regard, but I know I’ll hesitate the next time a book gets popular as fast as this did. And the most butt-blisteringly awful thing about all this? It could’ve been great. It had the recipe, but it put in too much of this and too little of that and botched the whole thing.

Final Rating

2/5 show less

Immersive and interactive literary thriller. Unsettling exploration into the strange and fascinating world surrounding a fictional horror-film director. By the end, you'll probably forget Stanislas Cordova is not a real person!

It was always surprising to me how ferociously the public mourned a beautiful stranger--especially one from a famous family. Into that empty form they could unload the grief and regret of their own lives, be rid of it, feel lucky and light for a few days, comforted by show more the thought, At least that wasn't me.

Ashley Cordova, a brilliant pianist and the beautiful 24-year-old daughter of the reclusive, legendary director Stanislas Cordova, is found dead in suspected suicide. Disgraced journalist Scott McGrath sees the suspicious case as an opportunity to redeem himself and seek vengeance. He had previously issued serious allegations against Stanislas Cordova using information obtained from a single, anonymous source; his career and family life was destroyed when the famed director sued him for slander. Finding out what really happened to Ashley could be the key to exposing the director's darkest secrets and restoring Scott's journalistic integrity. While on his obsessive search for clues, Scott reluctantly teams up with two young, wannabe amateur sleuths, both of whom seem to be hiding something. The investigative trio end up on wild and sometimes surreal journey that leads to some unexpected places.

I love to put my characters in the dark. It's only then that I can see exactly who they are. -Stanislas Cordova

I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. I started and abandoned about 15 books last month! I think it is a consequence of too many non-fiction books in a row! I saw Night Film in the B&N clearance section ($5 Hardcover!) and I knew it was just what I needed.

I am really glad I got a hard copy of this book, instead of an ebook or an audiobook. Many of the clues are actually in the book and there are web pages and reference documents scattered throughout its pages. There is also an interactive app you can download, which allows you to scan pages with the bird symbol and receive more detailed information. For instance, when you scan the page with Ashley's CD cover you hear one of her recordings. There is also an enlightening set of diary entries from the lead actress in a Cordova film, written while she was living on the set. It is a really immersive experience and, surprisingly, it doesn't come off as gimmicky. I wish I had known about the app before I got to the end of the book!

"You'll find that great artists don't love, live, fuck, or even die like ordinary people. Because they always have their art. It nourishes them more than any connection to people. Whatever human tragedy befalls them, they're never too gutted, because they need nobly to pour that tragedy into their vat, stir in the other lurid ingredients, blast it over a fire. What emerges will be even more magnificent than if the tragedy had never occurred."

The atmosphere is perfect and New York City is a character in itself. Pessl sets the stage with all the lights and dark shadows of an Edward Hopper painting. Scott, Nora, a free-spirited aspiring actress, and Hopper, a slacker drug dealer, are the main investigators. The relationship between the three evolves from an uneasy alliance to an endearing camaraderie, but they aren't the most interesting part of the novel. The book is at its best when it is exploring the dark underbelly of society and Cordova's back story. I loved the interviews with damaged people and the visit to a very unique, hidden night club. One of my favorite sections was when Scott was stumbling around The Peak. It was really fun to explore the movie sets! Cordova movies are open-ended, but there are usually said to be answers inside the props. Scott ends up finding the infamous suitcase from one of the films and the answers are actually in there! I thought that was such a neat little detail to include.

Pessl creates an impressive, looming presence for both Cordovas, even though we primarily see them in the periphery through secondhand sources. The author seamlessly incorporates Stanislas Cordova in real-world Hollywood. It can be so hard to naturally integrate fictional characters among real people, but in this case it solidified Cordova's place in filmmaking history. The films of Cordova are so psychologically damaging that some are only available to see in underground screenings shrouded in secrecy. I wish the Cordova films described actually existed!

"The problem with you, McGrath," said Beckman, draining the bottle into our glasses, "is that you've no respect for murk. For the blackly unexplained. The un-nail-downable. You journalists bulldoze life's mysteries, ignorant of what you're so ruthlessly turning up, that you're mining for something quite powerful that"--he sat back in his chair, his dark eyes meeting mine--"does not want to be found. And it will not."

Night Film explores the cult surrounding larger-than-life celebrities and the extraordinary lives we want those celebrities to have, our perceptions of reality, the mechanics of fear and the fantastical worlds we create to bridge the gap created by the the unknown and unknowable. My only real complaint is that it is a bit bloated at almost 600 pages. While it is fast-paced, it loses its momentum at parts. Some of the similes and metaphors were distracting, but not entirely out of place in a novel of this genre. I also have so many questions! The logistics of what Inez Gallo did to protect Cordova's image seem crazy and some of her responses to Scott were vague ("You'll never find any evidence!"). How was The Peak not completely picked over if it had been abandoned to Cordovites and wouldn't they have found the clues like the suitcase? Did Cordovites plant answers that were never meant to be there or did they just respect the director and "the murk" enough not to publicize it? How much of what Scott was told is real and how much was manipulated? I have to admit I got swept up up into the idea of Cordova too and I was hoping that the whole thing was going to end up being an experimental revenge film. Even though the end wasn't anything as concrete as that, I liked the thoughtful questions the ending ponders.

…an artist like him needs just one fundamental thing in order to thrive. And he'll do anything to keep it…Darkness. I know it's hard to fathom today, but a true artist needs darkness in order to create. It gives him his power. His invisibility. The less the world knows about him, his whereabouts, his origins and secret methods, the more strength he has. The more inanities about him the world eats, the smaller and drier his art until it shrinks and shrivels into a Lucky Charms marshmallow to be consumed in a little bowl with milk for breakfast. Did you really think he'd ever let that happen?

I was never really scared, but I did feel uneasy! If you are turned off by anything that has even an inkling of the occult in it, you probably want to avoid this novel. This book is best read in the dark, under a book light. If you like mysteries with journalists as the main protagonist and you have any interest in filmmaking or the culture surrounding artistic geniuses, this is a memorable book that is worth the read.

I felt let down. I always did, slightly, when I'd come to the end of an investigation, when, looking around, I realized there were no more dark corners to plumb.
And yet--this was different. The desolation came from the realization that all of the kirin were dead. They'd never existed in the first place. Because, however much I might not want to face it, wanting something larger than life for Ashley, some other tempestuous reality that defied reason, alive with trolls and devils, shadows that had minds of their own, black magic as powerful as H-bombs--I knew Inez Gallo was telling me the truth.
And her truth razed everything, clear-cut that magical and dark jungle I'd wandered into following Ashley's footprints, revealing that I was actually standing on flat dry land, which was blindingly lit, but barren. show less