"Winter Girl" by Matt Marinovich is seriously dark and twisted. If you thought that "Gone Girl" was creepy and had some twists, get ready for a real ride. The married couple in this book, Scott and Elise, are also a more fun to read about than Amy and Nick in "Gone Girl".
"Winter Girl" is devilish with a twist of humor that makes it bearable. Like "Gone Girl", Scott and Elise are into secrets, lies and even crimes some more serious than others. The duo is complemented by Elise's demonic and debased elderly father who clings to life, a married nurse who is all too willing to be manipulated by the disgusting old man, a seemingly vacant house across the way that calls out to Scott in his boredom a la Hitchcock's "Rear Window" and the mysterious title character the Winter Girl.
The Winter Girl has the addition of Hamptons' alluring winter setting, a vacant house, a perverted evil old twisted sadistic wicked father, Victor (who will not die)--continuing to plot his evil, even with cancer on his death bed. There’s also the other worthy characters: the nurse, and the mysterious winter girl to add a bit of spice, and horror. A dangerous game of mind-blowing cat and mouse—making this an ideal “book to film” adaption. The movie would be a riot.
Scott and Elise have left their meager lives in Brooklyn to care for her perverted father who is purportedly on his death bed. They move to his house in the Hamptons in the middle of winter. Elise is far from normal. She alludes to prior sexual assualt from her father, her mother left, her brother ended up in jail and they now speak by phone in code. It is not explained why Elise comes back to care for this brutal man or why Scott endorses this plan especially since her father despises her, except for the fact that they don't have many other options. Their marriage is hanging on by a thread.
At first they are staying in Victor's house while he is in the hospital. It is during this time that Scott becomes obsessed with the house next door. Elise is primarily consumed with trips back and forth to the hospital. Scott does little but drink Victor's booze all day and watch the house. He occasionally thinks of potential ideas to try and jumpstart his photography career but to no avail. He is all thought and no action when it comes to work, but when it comes to the house, he wants in.
He talks Elise into breaking into the house with him. It seems surprising how easily she goes along with him. They both become aroused by their daring and engage in sex at the house, discovering a tremendous amount of blood on the bed. They decide to cover it up and not tell anyone. To complicate matters, the perverted father Victor decides to come home to begin his own twisted games....
This is where the story really begins and it is a ride until the end to determine who is the best game player? Who owns what and whom? Who and what is the Winter Girl? Who is the most evil? Who is a killer and who is not? The auther is a master of sarcasm, humor, twists, turns and shockers. I read it in one sitting and was equally horrified and mesmerized. The Talking Heads probably knew these characters best with their hit "Psycho Killer". This book is not for the faint of heart.
Thank you to Net Galley for this book. I have provided an unbiased review.
No comments:
Post a Comment