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Ovo je savršen primer izuzetnog psihološkoh trilera. Pesl me je propisno prestrašila i držala na vrhovima prstiju. Deo sa interaktivnim medijima je odličan dodatak, te tako zaplet deluje još uverljivije. Ovo je jedna od onih knjiga za koje sam od prve strane znala da ću zavoleti. Pesl je izuzetno talentovana i ne mogu da dočekam da pročitam još njenih dela.
Čitalac prati život osramoćenog istraživačkog novinara Skota koji pokušava da sazna istinu o Ešlinom samoubistvu, ćerke poznatog reditelja Stanislasa Kordove. Skot se nada da će ako sazna istinu o njenom samoubistvu da otkrije dokaz o tome koliko je Kordova zapravo zao i nada se da će tako povratiti svoj ugled.
On je imao sabornike u svojoj potrazi – Hopera, Ešlinog poznanika koji nije sasvim svoj, i Noru, čiji je posao da uz skraćeno radno vreme čuva kapute i glumice u pokušaju. Tenzija raste kako trio postaje sve više i više uključen u otkrivanju pitanja koja okružuju zagonetnu porodicu. Isto tako, Hoper je neko ko krade pažnju čitaocu od radnje. Intervjuisali su onoliko svedoka koliko su mogli da pronađu, ali istina o Ešli i njenom misterioznom ocu možda je tamnija nego što su zamišljali. Takođe su otkrili da bi mnoge misterije koje okružuju njeno samoubistvo mogle da budu povezane sa radnjom Kordovinih filmova. Nije trebalo dugo da granica između stvarnosti i mašte postane mutna.
Ispostavilo se da fanovi imaju mnogo veću ulogu u radnji nego što se isprva verovalo. Nažalost, Skot je to prekasno zaključio. Nije se borio samo protiv Kordovinog carstva, već i protiv celog vojske vernih fanova koji nije htela da se bilo šta negativno o njihovom idolu domogne javnog mnjenja.
Priča se razvija sporo, i kada pomislite da je rasplet konačno na pomolu, radnja postane nešto sasvim drugo. Prvo, izgleda kao triler, zatim kao horor priča, nakon toga se desi natprirodan zaokret i sada nemam pojma šta je zaista. Priča je slojevita do krajnjih dubina, zabavna, likovi su kristalno jasno napisani. Poenta radnje je u neizrečenom, tako da čitalac mora da čita poprilično između redova. Kao i dvosmislenost Kordovinih filmova, otkrića na kraju ostavljaju čitaoca da ispita sve, čak i sopstveni razum.
Zaista sam uživala u ovoj knjizi, iako sam se zbog “klifhengera” na kraju osetila pomalo ostavljenom na cedilu. Ipak, Pesl je povezala sve važne tačke radnje, dok je sve ostalo podložno otvorenoj interpretaciji. Moram priznati, ova knjiga me je definitivno naučila da cenim lepotu nerazrešivih misterija.
Baš kao Kordovini sopstveni filmovi, horor motivi se više provlače kroz atmosferu nego što su zaista prikazani. Neizvesnost je veličanstveno odigrana. Nije usmeravana, više insinuirana, posebno misao da postoji tama ispod površine u izuzetnim ljudima protiv koje ne možemo da se borimo.
Moram da dam veliku pohvalu gospođi Pesl na razradi pratećih detalja. Odradila je izuzetan posao u svom istraživanju. Postoje stranice i stranice lažnih vesti i članaka o dokazima koje Skot ispituje. Ne samo to, nego je i Kordova je toliko razrađen da je svih 15 njegovih filmova nadugačko opisano.
Generalno, Skot je bio pristojan narator, iako je njegov lak pristup novcu bio previše neverovatan i zaista mi je smetao. Za novinara koji neslavno propada u svojoj profesiji, imao je previše novca za trošenje kako mu se ćefne. Mada, zaista mi se dopalo kada je shvatio da je uhvaćen u zamku i da ga je Kordova savladao.
Najbolji deo romana nije glavni junak, već sam Kordova. Čitalac nikada ne može da bude siguran da li je pogrešno shvaćen genije, zao mozak ili samo otac koji očajnički pokušava da spase svoju ćerku. Proveo je čitav život manipulišući ljudima i koristeći svoju sirovu inteligenciju da kontroliše svaku situaciju i samu istinu. Njegov senkovita figura je u centru svega. Cordova nije viđen u javnosti od 1970.godine, a iako se tehnički rečeno ne pojavljuje lično, može se reći da je glavni lik.
Interesantno je kako svi glumci, nakon rada sa njim, u potpunosti se promene. Ili su postali potpuno inkognito, ili promenili svoju profesiju ili pak dostigli vrhunac karijere. Očigledno je da su svi doživeli nešto izuzetno traumatično za vreme snimanja, iako niko zapravo ne može da kaže da li je to iskustvo bilo nezakonito ili ne.
Kordova se potrudio da zaštiti svoju privatnost, posebno njegov nejasan način života. Želeo je da u potpunosti živi bez ikakvih ograničenja i toga da bilo ko gura nos u njegova posla. Pitanje je da li je prešao liniju? Da li je on toliko skoncentrisan na držanje javnosti u mraku, da je usput izgubio svoju humanost? Da li je zaista dobio svoj srećan kraj i da li je iskreno zadovoljan svojim životom?
Sve vezano za Ešli je toliko neodoljivo da boli. Volela bih da čitalac ima priliku da čita o njoj dok je bila živa. Bila je pametna i duboko nesrećna zbog nemogućnosti da živi život koji je uvek želela. Otkako se rodila, svi su izgledi bili protiv njene težnje da bude srećna i zaista se nadam da je iskusila barem malo sreće u svom kratkom životu.
Trudila se da pobegne od očevog uticaja, ali nisam sigurna da je u tome ikada uspela. Bila je divlja i hladna, krhka i snalažljiva, naivna i okrutna, nekonvencionalna i rekla bih da ni ona nije potpuno razumela samu sebe. Potpuno me je očarala.
This is the perfect example of an extraordinary psychological thriller. Ms. Pessl made me fundamentally scared and kept me on my toes. Interactive media component was a great addition, it made the plot more believable. This is one of those books that I knew I’ll love from the first page. Ms. Pessl is extremely talented and I can’t wait to read more of her efforts.
The reader follows a disgraced investigative reporter Scott who tries to find out the truth about Ashley’s suicide, the daughter of the famous director Stanislas Cordova. Scott hopes that by investigating the suicide he’ll uncover the proof of how evil Cordova is, hoping it’ll restore his reputation.
He had companions on his quest – Hopper, a damaged acquaintance of Ashley, and Nora, a part-time coat-check girl and wannabe actress. The tension rises as the trio becomes more and more involved in unravelling the questions surrounding the enigmatic family. Also, Hopper is a real scene-stealer. They interviewed as many witnesses as they could find, but the truth about Ashley and her mysterious father might be darker than they have imagined. They also found out that many mysteries surrounding her suicide might be linked with the plots of Cordova’s movies. It doesn’t take long for the line between reality and fantasy to get blurred.
It turns out the fans have bigger role in the story than what had been implied in the start. Unfortunately, Scott finds that out a little too late. He didn’t fight only against Cordova’s empire, but against a whole army of faithful fans who wouldn’t let anything bad about their idol become public knowledge.
The story develops slowly, and when you think it’s finally unraveling, it becomes something else entirely. Firstly, it looks like a thriller, then it’s a horror story, then it takes a supernatural turn and now I have no idea what it is. It’s deeply layered, entertaining, the characters are vividly written. It’s all about the untold, so the reader has to read a lot between the lines. Just like the ambiguity of Cordova’s movies, the unraveling part also leaves the reader to question everything, even their own sanity.
I really enjoyed this book, though that little cliffhanger at the end made me feel a bit underwhelmed. Still, Pessl tied up all of the important plot points with everything else left for open interpretation. I must admit, this book definitely taught me to appreciate the beauty of an unfolded mystery.
Just like Cordova’s own films, for the most part the horror is rather implied than shown. The suspense is magnificently played out. It’s not direct, rather insinuated, especially the thought that there is darkness beneath the surface of the extraordinary people in society that we can’t fight against.
I must give a major praise to Ms. Pessl on the world building. She did an amazing job in doing her research. There are pages and pages of fake news documents and articles about the evidence Scott is examining. Not only that but Cordova is so fleshed out that all 15 of his films are discussed at length.
Overall, Scott was a decent narrator, though his easy access to money was too unbelievable and really bugged me. For a journalist who failed miserably at his profession, he had too much money to spend as he pleased. Though, I really loved when he realized how entrapped and overpowered he is by Cordova.
The best part about the novel isn’t its protagonist, but Cordova. You can never be sure if he’s a misunderstood genius, an evil mastermind or just a father who desperately tried to save his daughter. He has spent a lifetime manipulating people and using his raw intelligence to control every situation and the truth itself. His shadowy figure is at the center of everything. Cordova hasn’t been seen in public since the 1970s, and although he doesn’t technically appear in person, he’s arguably the main character.
It’s interesting how all of the actors, after working with him, have completely changed. They either went totally incognito, changed their profession or they would reach the high point of their careers. It’s obvious they have experienced something profoundly traumatic while filming, though no one can really tell if that experience was illegal or not.
Cordova tried his best to protect his privacy, especially his ambiguous lifestyle. He wanted to live fully without any limits and outsiders bothering him. The question is did he cross the line? Was he so concentrated on keeping the public in the dark, that he lost his humanity along the way? Did he actually get his happy ending and is he really content with his life?
Everything about Ashley is so appealing, it hurts. I wish I could’ve read about her while she was alive. She was smart and profoundly sorrowful because of her inability to live a life she always wanted. Ever since she was born, all odds were against her being happy and I really hope she got to be at least slightly happy in her short life.
She tried so hard to escape her father’s influence, but I don’t think she ever succeeded. Being wild and cold, fragile and resourceful, naive and cruel, she was unconventional and I don’t think that even she could properly understand herself. I was so compelled by her.
K.K.
Goodreads review
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