Book Review: MR. PERRIN AND MR. TRAILL By Hugh Walpole *** and a 1\2 out of *****

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Hugh Walpole's third novel, Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill (1911), considered by many, and by the author himself, to be his best work, is a strange, somber, meandering, and unforgettable piece of literature.

Revolving around a feud between two school masters in a public school in Edwardian England, the book starts out as a slow-burn social drama about the tedium and oppressive nature of everyday life in the public school system, depicting an affecting if not exactly compelling series of incidents that almost outstay their welcome. But then the book's tone shifts to something much darker and much more fascinating, as it focuses on one of the character's headlong dive into regret, rage, and, inevitably, madness. Here, the book, which flirts with Gothic undertones from the beginning, transforms into a disturbing psychological drama, with the screws tightening faster and faster, till the poignant ending.

Walpole's prose ranges from sublime to serviceable. It has been noted by several scholars and students of his work that Walpole was an unfussy writer, to a fault, writing quickly and seldom revising the first draft. The outcome of such a method does the novel a disservice to some extent, with the pacing of the book, especially in the first half, being too unsteady, and the tonal lurches are also a distraction. But by the second half the narrative threads coalesce into a satisfyingly unnerving whole, with scenes of psychological torment so vivid they push the book right to the edge of a Gothic horror story.

The book has two endings, the original one published in Britain, and a revised one for the later American editions. Both endings are interesting, yet each is problematic in its own way. The original ending, though melodramatic, is more effective, more poignant, and much darker. The revised ending is clumsy, heavy-handed, and borderline didactic, but its more hopeful tone might appeal to some readers.

Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill is a flawed piece of psychological fiction, with a cynical bent that can be hard to take at times. But, in the end, it is a novel that has stood the test of time, as there's emotional truth buried within its pages, and its depiction of a middle-aged man undergoing a calamitous transformation is harrowing and memorable. Recommended.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2021.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Book Review: THE GRIFTERS By Jim Thompson *** out *****

Known for his noirs, Jim Thompson offers something a bit different with The Grifters, a pitch-black psychological drama first published in 1963. Centering on the disturbing mother-son relationship between 25 year old Roy and his mother Lori, both players in the world of the "grift" (meaning flim-flamming and short con-games), this virtually plotless novel is basically a journey through their troubled, often exciting, and ultimately tragic lives.

What Thompson skimps on in plot, he somewhat makes up for in alluring cynicism, delivered in hypnotic, if not always subtle, prose, and fascinating details about the life of the career grifter. Considered by many to be among Thompson's best works, this novel isn't really that special, but it is short, highly readable, and has an ending so nihilistic and twisted, it has to be read to be believed.

Note: The audiobook version, released by Hachette, and read by Barbra Rosenblatt, is highly recommended.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2021.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Movie Review: THE ASSISTANT (2019) **** out of *****

Saying too much about the plot of The Assistant (2019) does the film a disservice. Although it's not really plot-driven and more of a character study, part of the beauty of watching it is experiencing how it unfolds, scene by scene, layer by layer, drawing you in into a story that is masterfully and boldly told.

Centering on a newly hired assistant (Julia Garner) working for a major film producer, the film takes us through a day of her on the job, showing us her tasks, her experiences, and her attempts to do the work to the satisfaction of her demanding, unpleasant boss.

On one level, The Assistant is about what it is to be a young woman starting out in a job dominated by men; what it is to stick out, to be taken for granted and be treated as an object. These are important issues, but also ones that are perennially trendy and which are usually treated with bland political correctness. And had the film been just about that, it would have been an effective story about sexual harassment and the oppression of women in the work force. But what makes The Assistant a near-masterpiece is that it diverges from the pack in two major ways: The scope of the story, and the way it is told.

What writer/director Kitty Green achieves is nothing less than masterly. Green takes a seemingly simple story about a struggling young female assistant in a vicious corporate world, and turns it into a nuanced, subdued, almost Jamesian story made up of fascinating details. As we watch Julia Garner's character go about her daily tasks, we learn more and more about her, her environment, and the dilemma she's sinking into. Green, with admirable restraint, never crosses the line into preachiness or sentimentality, never loses control of the film's subtle but gripping tone, as she pulls us deeper and deeper into a story that is about much more than first meets the eye. As The Assistant is not just about the marginalization and exploitation of women in the workforce; it's also a haunting story of corruption, abuse of power, and conspiracies of silence.

And, of course, the whole film hinges on Julia Garner's performance, and it is a marvel. Garner, with very little dialogue, says much, projects much, and breaks our hearts.

Time will tell if The Assistant becomes a classic, although it should, as this is one of the boldest, most elegant psychological dramas to come out of Hollywood in years. And one which tells a tale worth telling, and tells it well. Highly recommended.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2021.

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Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Review: I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020) * out of *****

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020), adapted for the screen and directed by Charlie Kaufman, is what happens when a filmmaker renowned for the wrong reasons is given carte blanche by a studio (Netflix) that has no fear.

Critics from The Guardian and The NY Times call it "one of the most daringly unexpected films of the year", and "Kaufman's most assured and daring work...as a director", so one goes in expecting something special.

Virtually plotless, with a theme of self-examination, and much navel-gazing, Kaufman, the epitome of hipster, pseudo-intellectual filmmaking, creates a grating, repellent, pretentious film, that is pure drivel masquerading as "high art". At over two hours, this is an excruciating experience, akin to watching a filmmaker talk to himself, and basically say nothing, for 134 minutes. Avoid.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon.

Book Review: THE DINNER By Herman Koch. *** out of *****

A highly praised novel of psychological suspense, The Dinner is an intriguing and readable book about a troubling subject matter.

Told in the first-person by Paul Lohman, a seemingly loving husband and father, as he sits down with his older brother and his brother's wife for a quiet dinner at an expensive restaurant, as he slowly reveals, through flashbacks that grow more disturbing as they go along, that there is more than meets the eye to this family gathering.

Revealing any more would be unfair. Suffice it to say that this is a dark novel, and one which gets darker and more disturbing chapter by chapter.

Koch's prose is on the chilly side, and all his characters are more or less unlikable. But there's a pitch-black mystery at the core of this novel that keeps one reading, no matter how unsavory things get, and Koch has some interesting things to say about mental illness, evil, and nature vs. nurture. But this is a challenging read; an unpleasant story about unpleasant people. And the ending, though shocking, is heavy-handed and implausible.

As far as psychological suspense novels go, this is a good if pedantic one, and only recommended to readers who like their mysteries dark and nihilistic.

* Adapted into a feature film starring Richard Gere, in 2017.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Book Review: THE GOOD CHILDREN By Kate Wilhelm. *** out of *****

The Good Children (1995) is author Kate Wilhelm's attempt at a contemporary homage to Victorian Gothic novels. There's an unreliable narrator, a mysterious death, familial tensions, madness, and a creepy house. But it isn't a wholly successful attempt.

For the first two thirds of the novel, the book is unputdownable, with interesting and believable child characters, an intriguing inciting incident with dire consequences for all involved, and a story that defies expectations. But things take a downturn in the last third of the novel, as the now grown-up characters become less interesting and less believable, and the dialogue grows more and more stilted as it goes along. Also, the climax is overwrought and implausible, failing to gel with the what transpired before.

All in all, this is a lesser entry in Kate Wilhelm's impressive cannon, but it is still a readable if flawed psychological novel, and one which benefits from being a relatively short and easy read.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Review: THE BENEFACTOR (2015) **&1/2 out of four

Andrew F. Renzi

Uneven and  dramatically unsteady psychological drama. But the elegant visual veneer, Richard Gere's showy but mesmerizing performance, and the lean running time - under 90 minutes - make it work somehow. An intriguing misfire.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2018.