What do you think?
Rate this book
239 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1948
He smiled slightly. I could make you remember, he thought.He'll give them a night to remember, in the end. But first he will worm his way into their lives, this urban family unit of coquettish mother and two daughters, one shy and in love, the other assertive and suspicious. He will be adopted by them, in a way, their little mascot Richard; in return, he will attempt to control them, he will chafe and burn at every perceived insult, he will love one daughter as he puts her on an untouchable pedestal and loathe the other as he droolingly imagines her every indiscretion. He will find a summer cottage for them all, a home where they can be together as a family, on a lovely lonely shore, an idyllic setting where they can all be who they truly are.
It was a lovely place, all right, hidden, immaculate, secret, inviolate. It was a place where anything might happen.A potentially grueling read is transformed into a scary rollercoaster by the narrative skills, imaginative prose, and sneaky dark humor of the author. This was as fun to read as it was horrible. I grinned and guffawed; I grew fearful and felt a deep, sick dread. Coates is a wonder with the words and an expert marksman to boot: every shot fired hits its target. Richard may slay but he is riddled with the bullets of Coates' derision as well. A derision aimed at a man who yearns to control women, who projects his misogynist viewpoints upon them, who views the world solely through his own toxic perspective. I appreciated Coates' complete lack of empathy with the monster whose head we spend nearly every page in.