Saturday, September 19, 2009

Don't Look Now




I followed up The Turn of the Screw with Daphne du Maurier's classic short story, Don't Look Now. Unlike Turn of the Screw, which left me irritated and puzzled, Don't Look Now delivered a satisfying thriller that kept me on the edge even though I had read the story years ago and sort of remembered how it worked.

I always thought the title was simply derived from the game that John and Laura play in the opening scene. It is, of course, but it also is a clue to how this story, and perhaps all good thrillers, work. I'm not a magician, but my understanding of the magician's art is to distract the audience so they don't pick up on how the trick works. For the split second in which the audience is looking at the distraction, the "magic" happens.

So too with this short story. Du Maurier puts forth a series of distractions to keep us from anticipating where the danger will come from. First she makes us think that Laura is the one in danger because of her grief, then the little girl that John and Laura see after dinner in Venice, then their son Johnnie, then Laura again when John sees her on the vaporetto with the twins. It's only on the last page of the book that we realize that John is the one in danger. Granted, the psychic twin did tell Laura that John was in danger if they stayed in Venice, but since John doesn't believe her, we don't either.

Mysteries, and especially psychological ones, depend on the reader not looking at the right things at the right time. The best stories are those in which all the clues are there in plain sight, but you doesn't see them because you are looking at something else. You are being purposely distracted. Just like seeing a good magic show can leave you exhilarated and impressed, a good mystery should do the same.

Don't Look Now was a joy to read. Du Maurier is truly the grande dame of the psychological thriller.

9 comments:

  1. I'll have to check this one out. I lot du Maurier.

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  2. I loved this story and have read it twice now. I hadn't thought of it in terms of a magic trick, but you're right, she does send the reader off on all sorts of distractions. It's all so well done!

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  3. Thanks for mentioning what sounds like an interesting read!

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  4. I read the story years ago, and I love the movie. Both are so scary in places, and suspenseful, sad, and eerie! thanks for a really good review, and I hope others are encouraged to look for it now! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it, Jane.

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  5. I love psychological thrillers!

    I have an award for you...
    http://gofita.blogspot.com/2009/09/more-fun-awards.html

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  6. My first experience of Du Maurier as a short story writer was 'The Birds'. I was so traumatised that I've never gone back there.
    Have you read Justine Picardie's 'Daphne'? Very interesting in many ways.

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  7. Heather - thanks for the award! Makes me happy to connect with so many book people!

    Ann - I read Daphne in January, and really enjoyed it. In fact, Justine Picardie's blog is on my blogroll--she reads and writes interesting stuff. That's what got me reading/reading DMM!

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  8. I think I'll get this from the library next time I go there. Last year I read The Birds and Other Stories and completely fell in love with Du Maurier's short fiction. This sounds just as good.

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  9. I'm going to have to read this one. The movie is truly haunting - I only saw it once decades ago but can still remember it pretty vividly. I've read Rebecca and Jamaica Inn but none of Du Maurier's short stories.

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