Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!
To this day I always enjoy adding Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho to my Halloween movie play list. But I had never read the original source material. On a trip to Manhattan I picked up a copy of the novel and later settled in to enjoy it. What I discovered was a tale that I was familiar with, but apparently did not know very well. I always say that the book is better than the film. In this case both have their merits, but the book is something different, it was like discovering the story of Norman Bates for the first time. With Bernard Herrmann's classic score playing in the background I write this review.
Psycho was written by Robert Bloch in the late 1950s. It is currently published by the Overlook Press, an imprint of Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc.. In it we are introduced to Mary Crane. After losing her mother she now lives with her sister, Lila, in a small apartment. She works for Mr. Lowery five days a week, watching him get filthy rich off his real estate clients. She is frustrated and tired of Lowery and his agency. Soon she is on vacation. On board a cruise ship she meets Sam Loomis, a handsome hardware store owner from a small town, called Fairvale. She begins to fall for him, feeling that her time to find love is passing fast as she grows older. They seem to be committed to one another in the short time they are sailing. But Sam has debts left over from his family, and he needs to focus on making the hardware store more profitable. This may take several years. They part company and Mary is determined to become Mrs. Sam Loomis.
Upon returning to work she is presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. One of Mr. Lowery's clients is looking to buy a home for his daughter as a gift. He flashes forty thousand dollars about as if it is nothing and gives it to Lowery. Afraid to have that amount of cash in the office over the weekend, he hands it to Mary and asks her to run it to the bank. She takes the envelope and agrees to go on an errand to deposit the money. After she wishes to go home, because she is not feeling well. He lets her take the remaining part of the day off. Hours later Mary is home packing a bag. Her distaste for Lowery and his clients fuels a crazy plan: steal the money, assume a new identity, and surprise Sam at his business in Fairvale. Since it is the weekend no one will be the wiser until Monday that the money never made it to the bank.
Driving the last few miles to Sam, Mary exchanges cars to cover her trail. Upon driving to Fairvale the night takes over and a pounding rain causes Mary to miss the proper exit. She ends up at an dark motel. There she meets Norman Bates, a unassuming-looking man. He is friendly, gives her a great rate, and even offers her dinner. She is pleasantly surprised at her luck. She can rest and be off to visit Sam in the morning. But what Mary does not know is that Norman Bates has a controlling and dangerous mother. A mother who will stop at nothing to keep her son by her side. Even if she has to commit murder.
Psycho the novel is the bones of the Hitchcock classic. But it was far more brutal and terrifying than anything on the silver screen. This slasher-crime thriller delivers many wide-eyed moment, some of which were influenced by real life serial killer, Ed Gein. It is fast-paced and swift at showing us just how insane Mother can be. The death of Mary Crane is far more gory than the film. And the infamous Bates house was an entity of its own that told a vivid story of the Bates family. The narrative is a slick as a pool of blood, as Bloch begins to add clues as to what is really going on at the Bates Motel. I loved the set up to the ending and Bloch definitely delivered the creepiness needed to pull it off. When the truth is finally revealed through the horrified eyes of Mary's sister, I shuddered even though I knew what was coming.
I read Psycho in part with the narration of Paul Michael Garcia. He did a great job presenting Bloch's words, capturing the characters quite well. He was particularly excellent reading the reveal at the end. I would be interested in reading the remaining books in the series with Garcia's voice to guide me.
Psycho took a familiar movie that I have seen countless times and breathed new life into my understanding of Norman Bates. I loved Bloch's writing style and found his characters to be well developed and likeable. This four star read made me excited for more classic tales of terror. I am happy that I took the time to finally read this novel. If a creepy and gory read is your idea of a great time, then look no further than Robert Bloch's Psycho.
Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what are some of your favorite reads of 2018.
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