Summer Reading List- Headhunter
Title: Headhunter
Author: Timothy Findley
Published: 1993, by HarperCollins
Page Count: 625
Genre: Mystery
Rating: **** (out of 5)
My Thoughts: When Findley wrote this novel in the early nineties, he would never have guessed the plague he dreamed up, called sturnusemia, would be so true to reality. A disease spread by birds that terrorizes Toronto. SARS and bird flu combined. That's not the whole plot, just a side story. The whole novel is a series of intertwined stories of psychiatrists, mentally unstable people, wealthy people, and any combination of the three. Findley reveals the dark world of mental institutions and the upper crust of Toronto's society. Interspersed throught the stories are references to literary characters, some of which have been pulled from the pages of their works by Lila Kemp, an ex-librarian. Kurtz and Marlow are the main focus, escaped from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. There is also a Doctor Shelley, a research scientist, James Gatz, a wealthy man living in a green-marbled mansion, and even Findley himself appears in the pages as a patient.
This book is very dark and twisted. I had a hard time keeping the storylines straight. Findley is brilliant, and he keeps the reader on their toes. The imagery can be disturbing at times. I almost wanted to add horror as a second genre for this book, as some of the storylines fall in the realm of supernatural, though we know they are really just the imaginings of the mentally disturbed.
I really enjoyed this novel, and may read it again after I get through Heart of Darkness sometime in the future. I know I'm missing a slew of references.
I've been extremely distracted throughout this book review, I've been watching Half-Blood Prince at the same time.
My next book is another Findley
FIC
FIN
245 00 $aSpadework/ $cTimothy Findley.
I just bought this book at the NSCC CLA book sale last term. Another big one, so I'll be posting in two weeks. Before then, though, I'll have something on my knitting pursuits as of late.
Til next time, keep fit and have fun, and don't point out my grammar and spelling errors. Harry Potter was on!