|
The Night Following by Morag Joss |
| Bantam Dell, $22, NV, ISBN 978-0-385-34118-9 |
 |
| The Night Following is a psychological suspense novel which is unique in many ways. That there are three simultaneous story lines being related is obvious from the physical presentation of the narrative, nay even from the cover which shows a triptych, three similar scenes of trees and sky as night becomes day. The first page of the first story line depicts the same picture as the third triptych as the narrative is told in the first person by a woman who is coexisting with her husband in a small village in England. She is about to embark on the story of her estrangement from Jeremy when she discovers, quite by accident, that he is having an affair with another woman.
The second story line is presented as letters written by Arthur, an elderly man to his recently deceased wife, Ruth. It is obvious that Arthur is not used to written communication and finds it difficult to put his thoughts and feelings in words, but also that he deeply misses his wife. The third narrative is a novel entitled The Cold and the Beauty and the Dark. This novel takes place in Aldbury, Lancashire in 1932. It chronicles the life of Evelyn Leigh, a young woman working in a factory, but secretly hoping to marry Stan Ashworth a man whose child she is carrying. Stan is abusive, but represents Evelyn’s best chance to escape from factory work. The three narratives are discrete. The typeface, the pagination, as well as the point of view and literary style indicate which story is being addressed. Yet there are hints and nuances that connect the three. What makes The Night Following intriguing is the subtlety with which the connections are made. Little bits of half remembered incidents crop up in another narrative leaving the reader to wonder if he is remembering incidents from another novel altogether. The major characters are so deftly depicted that they seem at times utterly sane, yet at other times quite insane. They are open and forthright, yet one senses their deviousness. It is difficult to determine who is evil, who is good, who is a criminal, or who is a victim. Their character traits are not so painstakingly outlined that one can predict how they will act. The world in which they exist is indeed narrow demanding that their everyday actions become important, yet the narrative is never slow or boring. The discreteness of the three narratives tempts the reader to try to make connections among the three. At first it seems there are obvious connections, yet the facts don’t exactly line up. It is like a jigsaw puzzle where it is easy to separate the color and get several small portions together, but to fit them all together into a cohesive whole is a much bigger challenge. Trying to understand what the whole picture is and how it fits together is both the beauty and the wonder of this outstanding novel. Morag Joss has been favorably compared to Ruth Rendell and Minette Walters Such a comparison is both an accolade and an injustice. Certainly both Rendell and Walters are highly respected crime writers, but Joss can ably stand on her own merits.
--Andy Plonka |
Please tell us what you think!
Back Home