Night Film

by Marisha Pessl

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Night Film is an utterly fascinating story that moves at a ridiculously slow pace. Scott, an investigative journalist, wants to know the truth about the death of one Ashley Cordova. It's being called a suicide, but Scott's not buying it. Besides, the mysterious Cordova has blindsided him before.

To me, this book feels like something between film noir and an Alfred Hitchcock film. Cordova himself is the man behind the curtain, the Maltese Falcon, and I wanted to know more about him. I drank up the history of the cult director and the details of his films. At about 75%, Scott finds himself on the Cordova estate and that part of the book was AMAZING - so immersive and interesting. It took a lot to get to that point, though, and there was a lot afterwards.

I really like Marisha Pessl's writing style - I enjoyed her novel [b:Special Topics in Calamity Physics|3483|Special Topics in Calamity Physics|Marisha Pessl|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442699779s/3483.jpg|910619], despite my personal expectations - but it does take a bit of patience. She's a patient, philosophical fiction writer and will bring you into the dark folds of her characters' minds. She fascinates me, and I devour her books like candy.

My two criticisms of Night Film are the length (I was happily done with the book at about 80%, but finished it anyway), and the main character. I found Scott to be flat, cynical, and generally uninteresting. I was there for his "sidekicks", Nora and Hopper, all the way though. Both were colorful, interesting characters and a testament to Pessl's ability to create interesting voices.

I also really love her endings... how they're never quite finished. This could be a huge pet peeve to the wrong person, though.

Overall, I'm glad I read this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'd even read it again but not for several years. I'm also very happy that it's done.