Status
Available
Publication
Plume (1999), 192 pages
Description
A stunning, erotic thriller by the bestselling author of Whiteness of Bones. Following the gruesome murder of a young woman in her neighborhood, a self-determined woman living in New York City--as if to test the limits of her own safety--propels herself into an impossibly risky sexual liaison. Soon she grows increasingly wary about the motives of every man with whom she has contact--and about her own.
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Media reviews
A novel of breathtaking condescension and snobbism trying to pass itself off as an ironic serial-killer thriller.
User reviews
LibraryThing member John
This is described as an erotic thriller, and the sex descriptions leave nothing to the imagination. The writing is brisk, and I think Moore captures very well the tone and rhythm of speech and modern lexicon, whether it is young people, rap-talk, or cops. In fact, I enjoyed the word play throughout
(April/03)
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the book. The protagonist is a teacher of literature and writing at a community college, working on a dictionary of street jargon. "In the cut" is from vagina and means a place to hide, someplace safe, someplace free from harm. But she is, in the end, not safe, not free from harm and the end is pretty horrific. The writing is tight, the pace good, and the plot moves along smartly. The teacher makes a huge mistake in thinking she has identified a man who might have murdered a woman, and that that man is the detective investigating the case (this requires just a little stretch of credulity in whether she could really have seen his face or not in a certain situation, rather than simply identifying him by a tattoo on his wrist). The book begins with her noting that her class has trouble with the concept of irony in writing; there is in a sense a huge irony in the whole book in that by not confiding in the detective, whom she wrongly suspects, she in effect sets up her own murder.(April/03)
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LibraryThing member kattepusen
A Penthouse Letter for the Coffee-Shop Intellectual...
This quick-read is a cheap thrill. It has some eloquent prose and an interesting premise; however, the story as a whole is marginal and actually quite banal. The author seems almost desperate to convey "realism", but relying on photographic
The protagonist, Frannie, is "too constructed" to seem real. Her extreme cynicism is perhaps refreshing at times and her lingustic ponderings are often quite amusing, but overall her personality is meatless. The lover/detective Malloy is a tired police cliche with a knack for some extreme sexual precision. Frannie's student Cornelius shows some potential as a character but quickly disintegrates.
The ending is quite over-hyped and actually rather disappointing. Blood and gore and a meager "explaination" - wow, what a surprise...
Overall, Susanna Moore shows us in this book that she can be clever with words; however, her attempt to portray gritty reality comes across as merely desperate for attention
This quick-read is a cheap thrill. It has some eloquent prose and an interesting premise; however, the story as a whole is marginal and actually quite banal. The author seems almost desperate to convey "realism", but relying on photographic
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descriptions of sexual acts and equally graphic renditions of sadistic brutality are simply not enough to make this story exceptional. The protagonist, Frannie, is "too constructed" to seem real. Her extreme cynicism is perhaps refreshing at times and her lingustic ponderings are often quite amusing, but overall her personality is meatless. The lover/detective Malloy is a tired police cliche with a knack for some extreme sexual precision. Frannie's student Cornelius shows some potential as a character but quickly disintegrates.
The ending is quite over-hyped and actually rather disappointing. Blood and gore and a meager "explaination" - wow, what a surprise...
Overall, Susanna Moore shows us in this book that she can be clever with words; however, her attempt to portray gritty reality comes across as merely desperate for attention
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LibraryThing member bhowell
A great escapist read, a quick and witty thriller, can be read in an hour or so
LibraryThing member KMDHOW
I got this off the sale shelf. Mildly entertaining. I'll give my copy to anyone that wants it, but I won't advise them to put out their hard earned cash for it.
LibraryThing member rex_talbot
despite the hype, disappointing in all departments
LibraryThing member bearette24
This book was well-written, and I liked the main character, an English professor who was a free spirit, fascinated with words. However, it had a horribly creepy ending that tainted my enjoyment of the rest of the book.
LibraryThing member Ken-Me-Old-Mate
Oh wow, a dark tale this.
All the while I was reading this my recall was always of scenes at night time or dusk even though I am sure bits of were in the daytime. A strong sense of menace and danger stalks every page. Unease will be your companion, you will not know what is true and what isn’t and
Not for the faint hearted but satisfaction rewards the brave.
All the while I was reading this my recall was always of scenes at night time or dusk even though I am sure bits of were in the daytime. A strong sense of menace and danger stalks every page. Unease will be your companion, you will not know what is true and what isn’t and
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the end will chill you to the core.Not for the faint hearted but satisfaction rewards the brave.
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LibraryThing member TTAISI-Editor
Mixed feelings about this book. Some very, very good, taughtly written pieces, and the ending is a sharp twist of the knife. At the same time there some other parts that lag behind, with some characters that could have used a little bit of additional development.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2000
ISBN
0452281296 / 9780452281295