Night Film by Marisha Pessl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So as I was thinking about this book, I was struck by just how much of a search for god or the devil it had become, a true horror in the evocative feels, a true mystery by it's investigations and second-guessing, and a jaw-dropping mind-romp when I simply consider the tale as written by a master storyteller, or Cordova. It doesn't really matter.

The artist and the art are all one and the same, here, and I avoided *most* reviews on this book because there's been a lot of loving and hating going on and an enormous amount of popularity.

It also doesn't matter that I'd barely even heard of this book except in passing and more recently when I was told that I just had to read it from a person I respect, so I did.

And now I can firmly say that it deserves all accolades. :)

All of the characters are vivid and unforgettable, the streamlining of the search for truth is old and time-tested, but it works so damn well here because what we're looking for is the heart of the story, and no one is absolutely sure if the story is one that we make for ourselves or the one that others have led us to.

I was frankly pretty damn amazed by how many threads were pulled to unravel this sweater, and even more amazed that all of them were magically waved back into a whole and, dare I say it, pristine sweater. Even now, I can't decide whether I'm singing with the Mermaids or whether my heart has been squeezed dry by the oroboros of a worm. Reality or magic, god or the devil, it's a wild ride that manages a very tight line of Thriller for a time before it heads into the darkest territories of Horror before it leads you straight out again into Reflection... and Insanity.

Or is it insane at all? Indeed, Ashley, I think you might have been the most sane one of the bunch, and you're the white rabbit.

So delightful! I'll be honest, I got scared. My heart was pumping pretty hard. And I'm an old fan of Horror, too, so it takes a lot to get me all riled up. But I got riled up! There was so much detail and the story was so damn strong, I just couldn't tear my eyes from the page until I got through it.

You know what this means? I have to read her other novel. Soon. Very, very soon. I'm so damn glad I got to enjoy this. It was like being taken home to some of the greatest adventures in thrillerland.

If any of you haven't checked this novel out by now, expect reclusive geniuses, masterminds, tragic artists, discredited reporters, quirky actresses, and questing lovers. If that isn't enticing enough for you, there's always the Deep Web, insane cultists, fanboys, strange rituals and disappearances, and real heart. Don't miss it.

The ride's the thing. :)

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