Tuesday, May 22, 2007

In the Cut by Susanna Moore

I got In the Cut by Susanna Moore at the last library book sale I attended. It was the day were you purchased a grocery bag for $5.00 and could stuff it full with all the books you could. The cover of this book said it was now a major motion picture and I am always interested in reading books that are later turned into movies. Since it was a thin book, in it went. I was not that impressed and really can only give the book a D.

She lives in two rooms on the third floor of a brownstone on Washington Square. By day, she teaches her students about irony and language in all its nuance, eccentricity, and unspoken meaning. By night, she complies a secret dictionary of street slang, and takes chances.

One night, in the basement of a bar, she walks in on an intimate moment between a man and a woman. His face is shadowed in darkness, but she will remember the tattoo on the inside of his left wrist, the feeling of his eyes on her. She will remember long after the first brutal murder rocks her neighborhood... long after she is propelled into a sexual liason that tests the limits of her safety and desires, as she begins a terrifying descent into the dark places that reside deep within her...

This book had it's redeeming points as the suspense was done pretty well, but I just couldn't get into the author's voice. Coming in at 180 pages, I should have had this book done in a day but it took three days for me to get through it. It was very stream of consciousnes and some of the book was taken up with the dictionary that the character was writing. I didn't understand this as I felt it did not add anything to the story. I did not like the ending at all and really did not like any of the characters. Overall, while I may watch the movie if it comes on cable as it is an older one, I will not be seeking it out. This is a book to soon be forgoten.

Up next is a book I started today that I also got from the sale. It is an old Sandra Brown titled French Silk. This one is almost 500 pages and I started it today. It has gotten my attention and I look forward to reading more of it. Happy reading!

2 comments:

Wendy said...

I read this one last year and pretty much had the same reaction. I thought the book would have been better served if the author had skipped all the rambling about language and (oh I don't know) tossed in some good old fashioned character development.

However, I did like the ending - which means I probably should stop blog hopping and find a good shrink.

The movie version stars Meg Ryan and according to My Sister The English Major, they changed the ending. Not sure how though since I haven't seen the movie for myself.

Kristie said...

I agree with you. I didn't think that the language part added anything to the story so I was kind of confused. I wasn't sure if it was just me missing out on something or what. Maybe I will see the movie but like I said, I won't seek it out.