The Devil in Silver

Publisher's Summary

Pepper is a rambunctious big man, and, suddenly, the surprised inmate of a budget-strapped mental institution in Queens, New York. He's not mentally ill, but that doesn't seem to matter. On his first night, he's visited by a terrifying creature who nearly kills him before being hustled away by the hospital staff. It's no delusion: The other patients confirm that a hungry devil roams the hallways when the sun goes down.

Pepper rallies three other inmates in a plot to fight back: Dorry, an octogenarian schizophrenic; Coffee, an African immigrant with severe OCD; and Loochie, a bipolar teenage girl. Battling the pill-pushing staff, one another, and their own minds, they try to kill the monster that's stalking them. But can the Devil die?

©2012 Victor LaValle (P)2012 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Not a horror/thriller

There are so many bad reviews of this novel that I have to conclude that it was marketed incorrectly. It's true that there are some horror/thriller tropes, but it's mainly a character-driven novel about mental illness and the institutions that purportedly care for them. It's also about misunderstanding the true source of one's suffering. This novel is very generous and large-hearted toward all the characters, which is a joy to read.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

a gem worth all the digging

heavy, thoughtful. a pleasant surprise... not a "horror novel" though, horrifying at times. I truly enjoyed LaValle's prose.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

A suspenseful mystery, horror, thriller, drama

Book Club Jaws, finding Dorry, Vincent Van Gogh, conspiracy Coffee and the devil in a bison wig.

Crap. I have had an ARC of this one sitting on my shelf since 2012. For whatever reason, I could just never get to it. When I had the opportunity to pick up the audiobook, I figured I should pick it up and give it a go. Glad I did. Not what I was expecting at all and pleasantly surprised I liked it as much as I did. Not only can Victor write, but he narrates a good story as well.

I really didn’t know what I was getting into with this one. Didn‘t read anything about it. Didn’t read any reviews or the synopsis. I honestly thought it was going to be a ghost story or haunted house tale. Again, I was pleasantly surprised.

The story, while slow and meandering in spots, was quite refreshing and original. Victor LaValle can write. His characterizations are crazy good and his cast of characters were just plain crazy.

A suspenseful mystery, horror, thriller, drama that is funny, heartbreaking, satirical, and very dark at times. A solid 4 Stars!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

intriquing premise, so-so plotline

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Certainly it's a challenge to write a book that takes place in one setting alone. I got a little bored in there.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Premise is compelling - guy gets arrested and thrown into a mental hospital even though it seems everyone, himself, cops, doctors, knows he's not sick.The main conflict flatlines - man/beast patient terrorizes other patients.

Did Victor LaValle do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, very much so. It's an interesting story how he drew his characters, which LaValle speaks to in his acknowledgments and also talked about to Terry Gross on NPR.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

On Appreciation

My expectations were entirely different: horror was the genre touted, yet it was a literary work. I loved it, I loved that it was, more than anything, character-driven. And characters they were, unique and alive. This is a novel that lets you consider your own circumstances in the world, that not-so-subtly reminds you to appreciate the aesthetics of the natural world and art. A novel well worth donating your time to.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

very good but drags on

Any additional comments?

I like the story and enjoyed Victor LaValle's reading of it, but I think further edititing would enhance it -- too long, slow moving in the latter 1/3rd of the story

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Rich and complex.

I enjoyed and hope to see more of this author. Well crafted and totally engaging.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

A Syfy lovers very good read

I really enjoyed this book. I am a true lover of sci-fi and horror. But I like my stories to have realistic rooms such that it makes the story almost believable. This is one of those stories and I really enjoyed the characters and felt for them. I read it this book off for only because I felt it went too far into the story of Van Gogh. Although it has inspired me to plan a trip to Amsterdam next summer.

This is a drama, I wanted a thriller/horror.

This is a drama, but I was looking for thriller/horror. A credit wasted on poor categorization.

Fantastic Listen, read by Lavalle himself

What a great listen. Strange meandering story. Is it horror, or just a stretch of horrible life? Great ballance of those two.