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A woman investigates the shocking secrets that brought down her once proud family in this suspenseful Edgar Award winner from a New York Times–bestselling author. Faith Severn has never understood why the willful matriarch of her high-society family, aunt Vera Hillyard, snapped and murdered her own beloved sister. But long after Vera is condemned to hang, a journalist's startling discoveries allow Faith to perceive her family's story in a new light. Set in post–World War II Britain, A Dark-Adapted Eye is both a gripping mystery and a harrowing psychological portrait of a complex woman at the head of a troubled family. Called "a rich, beautifully crafted novel" by P. D. James, Time magazine has described its author as "the best mystery writer in the English-speaking world."… (more)
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I read the paperback version of this book and at the end Ruth Rendell (Barbara Vine) has written a letter to the reader and tells what it was like for her to grow up with 2 Christian names. She was known as Ruth by her father's family and as Barbara by her mother's family. She describes "Ruth" as being colder, tougher, and more analytical; "Barbara" as being more feminine, "it is Barbara that sews". It was Ruth that had always written the books she wrote and as a writer she had always wanted Barbara to have her own voice as well. And then with A Dark-Adapted Eye, Barbara had finally written a book herself with her own voice. And one of the things that stands out when you read this book is how "feminine" the book is. She writes about makeup, sewing, cooking, fashion, and children. World War II is seen through feminine eyes that had to deal with the deprivations on the home front. The women in the book change over the 30 years, while only Francis seems to change of the men - at the end of the book they are still what they were 30 years ago. But this feminine viewpoint is the strength of the book. It is looking at a woman that committed murder and the change we see her go through over time is the "why" of what she did when she murdered someone. Vera and Eden and Faith all change, not suddenly or inconsistently, but change as things around them change. When the book is done, we understand what happened to these 3 women. We understand why Vera did what she did.
The writer leaves us with a mystery, an unanswered question really, at the end of the story. It feels a little like an artificial mystery. The narrator has helped the reader believe that the answer is the same one that Aunt Helen believes is the answer, though near the very end we learn that Jamie believes something else. The narrator suddenly prevaricates and leaves the question unanswered. And while this feels strained to some degree, I know 4 other people who have read this book and all of them have strong opinions about the answer to that question. It is a testament to the author that she has written a story about characters that you feel you know. You feel attached to the the characters and feel the answer to the question is important.
So why did Rendell write as Barbara Vine? I believe she was just too prolific as a writer, writing at least two novels every 3 years, perhaps leading buyers to believe that she was writing pot boilers. Quite simply the extra pseudonym gave her more publication opportunities, and many of her readers did not realise the two writers were the same person.
A DARK ADAPTED EYE explores family relationships. During the bombing of London in 1940 Faith, not yet a teenager, is sent to stay in the country with her father's half-sisters Vera and Eden. In the following years Faith periodically spends extended periods of time with Vera. The setting of England in the 1940s and early 1950s helps us reflect on the impact of events like war on society's values as well as their impacts on individuals.
The novel explores family jealousies that eventually lead to murder. Faith gets an opportunity to look back over events, and to consider what happened with an older eye, when a journalist contacts family members because he wants to write a book about Vera. What is interesting about how Vine has handled this plot is that even in the last pages of the novel there are a number of questions that are not finally resolved, where the reader is required to make their own judgement.
An excellent read and a good Barbara Vine to start with if you've never read one.
This was a fascinating and, eventually, quite devastating book. The author has a way of laying out the story and prose in a quietly thorough way, keeping the more disquieting elements couched within the normal everyday attributes of a wartime family. Knowing that a murder had occurred but not knowing the circumstances surrounding it, nor even who the victim was, was a particularly interesting way to tell this story. The technique had me reading with trepidation to discover where the cracks would appear, and how the murder would eventually take place. The story has an aura of foreboding attached to it, it was ominous from it's skeleton to it's details, haunting in a wonderful way. Because Vera was not a particularly pshycopathic person, the murder behind her execution seemed all the more interesting. Yes, she was restrictive and cold, and it was very clear that she was also repressed and secretive, at times she could be embarrassingly hysterical, but her character also seemed to be very controlled and conscious of propriety and modulated. Reading along I became convinced that this murder was an act of desperation and madness, instead of an act of calculated cruelty.
In fact, all the characters in this book were exquisitely portrayed. From the obnoxious and perverse Francis to the furtive and beautiful Eden and the reluctant and inquisitive Faith, each character was finely detailed and and exceptionally rendered. It felt like I knew these people, knew how they would react, where their buttons were and could see what would push them. There was a tremendous amount of exposition given over to these characters, a lot of time spent on the mundane and everyday, but it was far from boring. In fact it was a very illuminating and clever way to get the reader invested in the drama of the storyline, and the eventual destruction of a family.
The story dealt with many sensitive issues, and without giving away the mysteries of the story, it would be hard to touch on and identify them all, but the one that stuck out was the repression and emotional constraint of those in England during that time. It was evident in Vera's entire character, in her sister Eden's choice of lifestyle, and eventually in Faith's reticence to tell the story of her aunt. Repression ran like a thick vein down this haunting and dark story.
Another thing that I liked about this story were the atmospheric touches. There was much discussion of war time rationing and the procurement of luxurys items, such as food and cosmetics, during the lean times of war. I thought this was an interesting touch that gave the story believability and flavor. It seemed that the author accounted for all the variables in this time period and those minute touches really amplified the credibility of the story.
The conclusion of the story was also handled brilliantly. It skipped the exposition and definition and instead recounted and laid bare all the facts for the reader to deduce the motives and culpability of this murder. By doing this, it refrained from passing judgment on the killer and let the reader see that there was more to the story than just the black and white of the slaying. As in some real-life murders, the details were murky, the facts sometimes cloudy. One could almost discount Vera's madness and responsibility, could see from the facts alone that she was vindicated. Almost. And in the end, that is what this story came down to. The confusion and reaction of a somewhat normal woman, spurred into to a hideous act that forever changed the landscape of her family's life.
If you can't tell by now, I thought this book was superb. It had an intensity and control that I truly appreciated. I loved the meandering way that the story was fleshed out, and felt that in this way the suspense was built into an almost unbearable measure. I had heard so many good things about this book, and was so excited to read it. In no way did it disappoint. Though it is written by a mystery writer, this book is more of a psychological suspense story. A very intelligent and thought provoking read. Strongly recommended.
Faith Severn is contacted by a journalist who wants to dig into the past of Faith's aunt, Vera Hillyard who was
There are a great many characters introduced, which was a little maddening for me at times. I realize now that this was necessary to set the generational theme for the story. The murder victim is revealed at the end, but teasingly we do not find out who Faith's cousin Jamie's parents are. which is central to the story. Good stuff! I highly recommend this one.
I liked the style of writing, very much in keeping with the time
A Dark-Adapted Eye begins with the narrator remembering the
This review reflects my one and only read of this back in 1993 when I was 25. I will have to read it again to see if I have the same
I don’t understand the meaning of the title but I’m glad I read this finally. The familial relationships were hard to get straight at first, but after a time it fell together.
Vine really shocked me. I didn’t expect Francis and Chad of having a relationship at all, never mind a sexual one. I also didn’t expect the reason for Eden wanting Jamie. I still don’t know which of the sister bore him. Were autopsies really that lax or is it a device of the author to shroud the truth? The world may never know.
The pieces of manuscript in between Faith’s account are a good device. It lets the characters speak for themselves, which they obviously couldn’t have done from the other point of view.
She really kept me guessing until the end as to whom Vera killed. I always suspected it would be Eden, though in the beginning I couldn’t guess at a motive. The Jamie issue was a spanner in the works. She effectively made me hate Vera in the beginning, with her piety and narrow-mindedness and then made me pity her in the end. There is so much left in the cracks that was never brought to light; such as how Tony Pearman got on after his wife’s murder and what was really in Jamie’s mind growing up. What was he told? Who told him? Why was he born? Who wanted him, in the end? I also would have liked to know more about Faith. She was raised in such strict civility that was abandoned for more middle-of-the-road morals. This is a mystery to end all mysteries – in the end, there are still secrets.
This was the first novel by Ruth Rendell under her nom-de-plume, Barbara Vine - it signaled a departure from the other two kinds of novels she was known for at the time, her Chief Inspector Wexfords (police procedurals) and novels of psychological suspense such as A JUDGMENT IN STONE and THE TREE OF HANDS. It was also the first novel I read by her under either name. That was over 20 years ago, and my admiration for it only increases with each re-reading (which occur every 3 or 4 years or so).
Ruth Rendell is my favorite writer, period - well, except for Barbara Vine, that is.
6/18/12: Not feeling quite swept away by either of the two books I have going, I picked up A DARK-ADAPTED EYE again to re-read a chapter or two just to 'scout the territory,' so to speak. And before I knew it I'd read three, then four chapters. At such a point I guess I have to say that I'm 'officially' re-reading the book! It gets better with each re-reading, as do many of The Vines.
6/20: This one still gets five stars from me. Although most of the ratings for this book are in the three-to-five-star range, I'm mystified by the ones who rated it lower than that and found it boring. The word that best describes this book is 'masterful' and it very much sets the template for several of the Vines that have followed.
© Koplowitz 2012
A Dark-Adapted Eye begins with the narrator remembering the
Told from the point of view of the niece of the murderer, the story loses suspense because we know fhe criminal’s identity from the first page. In fact, the paving drags as
Not really recommended.