Night Film

A Novel

By: Marisha Pessl

Narrated by: Jake Weber

Length: 23 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Brilliant, haunting, breathtakingly suspenseful, Night Film is a superb literary thriller by the New York Times best-selling author of the "blockbuster debut" (People) Special Topics in Calamity Physics.

On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive, cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova - a man who hasn’t been seen in public for more than 30 years.

For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova’s dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself.

Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova’s eerie, hypnotic world.

The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career. This time he might lose even more.

Night Film, the gorgeously written, spellbinding new novel by the dazzlingly inventive Marisha Pessl, will hold you in suspense to the final minute.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2013 Marisha Pessl (P)2013 Random House Audio

Great story!

It was a little slow at first, but had a riveting ending. The whole book was great and the narrator was just right. I have listened to hundreds of books but felt inspired to write my thoughts out on one other book in the past. This is definitely worth the listen.

Wanna see something REALLY scary?

Pessl approaches this novel like a film -- with a filmmaker's attention to the set, the lighting, the camera angles -- creating the perfect mise en scène for a film-like experience with this gothic psychological thriller. The story borrows elements from iconic directors we are all familiar with (Hitchcock, Lynch, Kubrick, Polanski), but Pessl has used those influences intentionally and well, and combined them with the novelty of the multimedia PDF. The photos, news clippings, movie posters, etc. give an odd sense of surrealism to the reading experience. Even the cover of the book pays a kind of tribute to an older classic thriller, Don't Look Now with its red-coated dopplegänger.

Having read this a while a go and coming back and re-writing a review (after a problem with my first), the impact of the PDF seems evident. You are immediately immersed and you won't want to put the book down. Being involved in the story is consuming; the *props* of the pictures, obituaries, articles etc. suck you in and keep you gripped in a very atmospheric experience. With some separation, I still feel this was a spooky fun story well worth the time, but not the blockbuster I'd hoped for. As an experience, just like a good carnival ride, you feel like you'd like it to go on and on, but as a book you'd pull off the shelf and sit down to read -- it makes a few too many laps that didn't add anything (other than a little more time on the coaster). Still it was one of the most fun reads I've had in a while, and I have to give Pessl an extra star for a great effort, and her attention to detail.

With all of the devil worship, witch craft, on and on...I thought the most *terrifying* aspect of this book was in one of the many little possibilities that Pessl slips in...sometimes the events we have to face in reality make the most terrifying and horrible nightmares pale in comparison. The accompanying media is crafted very well (the PDF comes with the purchase and is easily accessible) and adds a fun dimension to a well written book.

Great performance, mediocre story

The performance is really good but the storytelling is a bit lacking. A lot of stuff just told in flashback, and takes a really long time to get to the point. Not really a satisfying ending.

What an incredible story!

Such a vivid and wonder-filled journey through NY! The narrator, Jake Weber, was perfectly suited for the story and embodying the protagonist. I was glued to my phone/computer for a couple of days until the story finished. I was thrilled with the mystery, which unfolded with the perfect pace, and I eagerly and unfailingly anticipated the next scene. Night Film is the best audiobook I have listened to so far this year. Hopefully, I will manage to find a book similarly captivating soon.

Disappointing

This book includes transphobia, racism, and plenty of classism. So, warning.
The premise is fantastic and I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it fell far short of expectations. The short descriptions and analysis of Cordova's films were by far the best part of the book. The protagonist is insufferable most of the time and it was impossible to care what happened to him. the only good things about him are his love for his daughter and him turning down an inappropriate relationship. Not to mention, he's terrible at his job and he brought all his misfortune on himself. And he could really stop talking crap about people who aren't as rich and privileged as he is.
The author clearly did some research on magic and hoodoo in particular, but conflates it with witchcraft at large, continually uses the term "black magic" and uses warlock when she means a witch who happens to be a man (one of my biggest pet peeves). Unfortunately, they keep referring to rituals as satanic and the townsfolk as yokels.
The only one of three main characters I really enjoyed was Nora, who is treated terribly throughout the book. Otherwise, Cordova and Ashley were my favorite characters.
If you're looking for a spooky thrill, this sadly isn't it. There were parts where it seemed it would get there, but then shies away from actually delivering.

spoilers:

the best example of which is the club Oubliette. it's promised to be intense and ever so dark, but the characters spend as much time finding and escaping it as they do inside. The spookiest thing about the club is apparently that it's stocked with drag queens, which the main character takes great offense to? it's also possible that these were trans women, but I'm not sure the author is aware that our trans sisters exist.
later, when the characters break into the Peak it actually gets interesting for a bit, but doesn't really result in anything. Scott makes a big deal out of there being a poison garden, even though it's safely held in a greenhouse and seems to be well taken care of.
Cordova was a fascinating character, and I felt for him and Ashley. they didn't deserve to be dragged thorough the mud. Nora and Hopper were right. At least in the end Nora found a wonderful community (seriously, why does Scott hate hippies so much?) and a great start.

Excellent Book and Story!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the charaters. I thought it was great how the three main character became friends.

Dark and Moody, perfect for bedtime

Would you consider the audio edition of Night Film to be better than the print version?

I got the hardcopy at the library and browsed thru it. All the art work and visuals are interesting but I loved have the spoken word deliver all the info, including narration of newspaper articles etc. Jake Weber just brings his character and the story to such life.

What did you like best about this story?

I can pull this up and listen to it in the dark, start anywhere in the book and immediately be immersed in this absolutely original tale.

What about Jake Weber’s performance did you like?

He is the perfect narrator for this.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Please don't ruin a great listen... I wouldn't want to see this made into a movie... they always f*@$ it up.

Is it CULT DRIVEN?

A maze of twisted passageways into the mysterious Cordova family lives, films. deaths & cult activities.

Night film? More like the best book I've ever listened to

It's so good omg pls read this! recommended by Joseph Fink of Welcome to Night Vale and I'd like to that his bc this book is so good and the guy who narrates it has a voice that feels like a crisp fall morning like so beautiful!!!

A really well done horror noir

The story is told through the eyes of a man obsessed with figuring out a core mystery that has caused the downfall of his personal and professional life. The roads it goes down are surprising and leave you guessing. There are some people that do not like the ending - but the adventure is well worth it to discover if you will.