Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Well, I am sure all four of us will agree, this one was actually an excellent read. Not sure if anyone has read prior, then reread now. I found it great. Probably because I read it as an actual adult this time. I guess I can't count the first time as I remembered zip. However, even from the first time, Dolarhyde has always reminded me of a hunchback. Don't know why or how he does. I think it is his self-perception. He has this idea and has been treated like a mutant creature.
Is it bad I don't have much to say about this one? I may just feel burned out this week, but I don't have any strong opinions on it one way or another. I just enjoyed it.
So, my dad's favorite film is Silence of the Lambs. I go to my parent's house to do laundry once a week because I live in a tiny garage apartment that does not have washing and drying units. I told him a few weeks ago that this novel and that film were on my coursework list. Not kidding, the man wouldn't hush for the remaining three hours I was over there doing my laundry that night. Now, he mostly spoke about the film versions of this series. When he did his residency for physical therapy years ago, way before my time, he often read books. The man now has advanced Glaucoma, so he doesn't read anymore. Still not sure if he read the series or just watched the films, either way, a slice of strange encounters I was not expecting to sit through for three hours. Every time I went to comment on something about the book series, "Now the Silence film is by far the best film in existence," was what I was interrupted with every time. LOL.
I did sympathize with Dolarhyde once we knew he was the "Tooth Fairy." I still thought he was very disturbed, but it was within reason. Kids, his step-siblings even, picked on him, his mother didn't want him, and his grandmother often threatened to snip off his penis with some scissors. The content of the novel was pleasingly disturbing for me. I also felt relieved to read something with necrophilia again (can you all not take that weirdly, okay?). I feel like that is a topic that has been getting the skimp end in Horror lately. I think the concept just makes people too uncomfortable and a lot of things are moving away from it. However, the point of Horror is to be unnerving, unsettling, and revolving around the emotion of fear. There are very few things that leave me uncomfortable, and unsettled, and you can bet I write them. There are a lot of people who are actually out to read something that disturbs them. I am one of those people.
I also loved how Lecter was still a focus without being extremely present in this novel. I felt it is such a significant build-up for the series. I read this series in high school and considering I read so much, sometimes I forget books outside of the large plot. I do remember being very into NBC's Hannibal when it was a thing. I never got to watch Season 3, or yet at least. I have Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD but did watch those when they originally aired. Lecter remained an essential character in this novel without being overbearing, and that takes writing talent to pull off.
Anyway, back to Dolarhyde. I think he was an excellent psycho for us to follow. He had the projection to become one with his upbringing. His crimes were unsettling. What he did was unnerving and strange. The thing is, he wasn't ugly from what I gathered. He was decent looking with a nice body (at least what I pulled from the gossip Reba mentioned). Different times so I cannot say I know the norm, but I feel like he was horribly mistreated. Let's be honest, his grandmother only adopted him to spite her daughter for marrying a successful man. Then when the daughter wouldn't help her, the piece of shit mother, the grandmother, used Francis as a pawn to fuck her daughter's life up a bit. Francis really never had anyone who cared about him. He only had himself, then Reba, whom he wisely pushed away as best as he could.
I did not enjoy that Reba came along and made him want to change his ways. Is that a legit thing? Someone comes along, and you put or make you want to put all your psychopathic desires to a halt? Aren't they kind of like wired into you to an extent? Eh. Thinking about it, I get it, but it doesn't mean I like the idea of some savior. The whole concept of the painting and the Dragon were well done. The tattoo was an excellent detail. Weird that his grandmother was the manifestation of the dragon. I still don't have my thoughts right on it and not sure they will ever get there. However, the fact he used her teeth became to make sense with it. I do not have much of any comments other than I enjoyed the book and how it was written. I will say, Dolarhyde eating the painting was one of my favorite scenes. It was just so fucking strange.
That being said, the ending? Erm. Molly got on my everlasting nerve, especially at the end. I understand she wanted to look out for Will, but I felt she was incredibly selfish, overbearing, and lack understanding or even care for Will Graham. Then, Dolarhyde had a clever escape and made it out only to get shot by Molly. I was unsatisfied. I don't think I wanted him to continue to be free in the shadows, or spend his life confined, but I do know Molly killing him was not my cup of tea.
Is it bad I don't have much to say about this one? I may just feel burned out this week, but I don't have any strong opinions on it one way or another. I just enjoyed it.
So, my dad's favorite film is Silence of the Lambs. I go to my parent's house to do laundry once a week because I live in a tiny garage apartment that does not have washing and drying units. I told him a few weeks ago that this novel and that film were on my coursework list. Not kidding, the man wouldn't hush for the remaining three hours I was over there doing my laundry that night. Now, he mostly spoke about the film versions of this series. When he did his residency for physical therapy years ago, way before my time, he often read books. The man now has advanced Glaucoma, so he doesn't read anymore. Still not sure if he read the series or just watched the films, either way, a slice of strange encounters I was not expecting to sit through for three hours. Every time I went to comment on something about the book series, "Now the Silence film is by far the best film in existence," was what I was interrupted with every time. LOL.
I did sympathize with Dolarhyde once we knew he was the "Tooth Fairy." I still thought he was very disturbed, but it was within reason. Kids, his step-siblings even, picked on him, his mother didn't want him, and his grandmother often threatened to snip off his penis with some scissors. The content of the novel was pleasingly disturbing for me. I also felt relieved to read something with necrophilia again (can you all not take that weirdly, okay?). I feel like that is a topic that has been getting the skimp end in Horror lately. I think the concept just makes people too uncomfortable and a lot of things are moving away from it. However, the point of Horror is to be unnerving, unsettling, and revolving around the emotion of fear. There are very few things that leave me uncomfortable, and unsettled, and you can bet I write them. There are a lot of people who are actually out to read something that disturbs them. I am one of those people.
I also loved how Lecter was still a focus without being extremely present in this novel. I felt it is such a significant build-up for the series. I read this series in high school and considering I read so much, sometimes I forget books outside of the large plot. I do remember being very into NBC's Hannibal when it was a thing. I never got to watch Season 3, or yet at least. I have Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD but did watch those when they originally aired. Lecter remained an essential character in this novel without being overbearing, and that takes writing talent to pull off.
Anyway, back to Dolarhyde. I think he was an excellent psycho for us to follow. He had the projection to become one with his upbringing. His crimes were unsettling. What he did was unnerving and strange. The thing is, he wasn't ugly from what I gathered. He was decent looking with a nice body (at least what I pulled from the gossip Reba mentioned). Different times so I cannot say I know the norm, but I feel like he was horribly mistreated. Let's be honest, his grandmother only adopted him to spite her daughter for marrying a successful man. Then when the daughter wouldn't help her, the piece of shit mother, the grandmother, used Francis as a pawn to fuck her daughter's life up a bit. Francis really never had anyone who cared about him. He only had himself, then Reba, whom he wisely pushed away as best as he could.
I did not enjoy that Reba came along and made him want to change his ways. Is that a legit thing? Someone comes along, and you put or make you want to put all your psychopathic desires to a halt? Aren't they kind of like wired into you to an extent? Eh. Thinking about it, I get it, but it doesn't mean I like the idea of some savior. The whole concept of the painting and the Dragon were well done. The tattoo was an excellent detail. Weird that his grandmother was the manifestation of the dragon. I still don't have my thoughts right on it and not sure they will ever get there. However, the fact he used her teeth became to make sense with it. I do not have much of any comments other than I enjoyed the book and how it was written. I will say, Dolarhyde eating the painting was one of my favorite scenes. It was just so fucking strange.
That being said, the ending? Erm. Molly got on my everlasting nerve, especially at the end. I understand she wanted to look out for Will, but I felt she was incredibly selfish, overbearing, and lack understanding or even care for Will Graham. Then, Dolarhyde had a clever escape and made it out only to get shot by Molly. I was unsatisfied. I don't think I wanted him to continue to be free in the shadows, or spend his life confined, but I do know Molly killing him was not my cup of tea.
My excitement for this book is only mitigated by the fact that we're watching Silence of the Lambs next. It is no secret, of course, that Hannibal Lecter is my favorite fictional nutcase, though to call him one seems almost wrong--given his level of sophistication. I didn't get a chance to talk about Will Graham in much depth, so I will do so here. What's beautiful about Will is that he's my ideal protagonist. He's pure empathy and we empathize with everything he's going through because next to no one else in his life does, save Hannibal.
ReplyDeleteThe beautiful thing about Will Graham is that the one person in his life who truly cares for him is the last person he needs in his life. As toxic as Hannibal is to be around, he's the only one who would genuinely ask Will how he is from a position of genuine concern.
I think that is another amazing thing about Mr. Hannibal Lecter. The fact he has some genuine concern and care, even though he comes off as having absolutely no empathy.
DeleteI agree with everything you've said about Dolarhyde. Reba was an odd direction the story went for me. Though, I don't think that a psycho having the thought that they want to change their ways is out of the question. It makes me think of Ronnie from the movie Little Children (it's a book too, but I hven't read it.) Played by Jackie Earle Hailey (a fantastic "psycho" actor), Ronnie is a pedophile that lives with his mother. He's constantly fighting his urge but also losing to it. In the end, his mother's dying wish was for him to be good so he castrates himself and nearly dies of blood loss. That's what I think Reba represented in the same way with Dolarhyde; an outside force that makes him *want* to change his ways. I would've been very unhappy if Dolarhyde actually changed his ways, but since he didn't, it highlighted that he really was just crazy. His obsession being bloodlust, he didn't even have the luxury to be able to castrate himself to keep himself in check.
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