Customer Reviews

A Fatal Inversion

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The ephemeral bygone quality of Ms. Vine's characters during their summer long idyll at Wyvis Hall reminded me of Anthony Powell's dream-like but objective viewings. The author toys with us in this complex novel. The reader spends two-thirds of the book not mulling over what has happened, but what is going to happen.

New owners of beautiful Wyvis Hall uncover human bones in the pet cemetery on the grounds of the estate. This sets in motion events which have been hidden for the past eleven years. The story goes back and forth from the present to the fateful summer of 1976. The tale is told from the viewpoints of Adam, Rufus and Shiva. Adam earns his father's undying enmity by inheriting his great-uncle's estate Wyvis Hall when he is 19. Adam with casual friend, Rufus drives down from London just intending to have a look at the property and going on for holidays in Greece. The estate works its magic on the young men and their stay extends to the entire summer. They sell off items in the house to keep themselves in money, drink quantities of wine, laze about and keep the world at bay. The party enlarges to include Zosie, a fey childlike homeless girl, Shiva, a highly proper Indian and his companion, the mystic Vivienne.

The reader knows something is going to happen this summer because of the prologue when the bones are discovered. But what? We know the event has had a profound effect upon Adam and Shiva that has entirely changed their lives. Rufus seems to have escaped unscathed and is living according to his original plan. None of the characters are particularly likable, let alone lovable. We don't connect with them, but do feel this terrible unease as the tale unfolds. The buildup is masterful, the horror is cataclysmic and the epilogue is chilling. Contrary to a few of the reviews posted here, this book does not have a "happy" ending at all.

Ms. Vine/Rendell deserves all the prizes she received for this craftily constructed novel. Some of the issues touched upon are profound; yet we are never allowed to be sidetracked into a case of the existential vapors. Recommended.

*A Fatal Inverstion* does not follow any of the formulas so common in today's mystery fiction. Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell) tells a uniquely horrifying and suspenseful story. Moving between the present and the past (ten years ago when the obligatory deaths occurred) in a very fluid and dynamic way, she makes the characters and events of this wonderful book come alive (no pun intended). I wanted to know what happened, and what was *going* to happen...and I wasn't sure I *really* wanted to know --- how horrible would it be? I could not put this book down!

No one can create an atmosphere of tension like Ms. Rendell writing as Barbara Vine. I know as soon as I begin one of her books, that I'm on an unstoppable ride until the very last pages. This particular book is wonderfully written, and there's a nifty little surprise at the end. The best thing about Barbara Vine is the way she unfolds her plots, and weaves past and present together so it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. She also has an uncanny way of building the scene for her books, so that readers feel that they are right there where the usually horrible act occurs. The fun is in the unravelling of the mystery. In this book we have five young people spending an idyllic summer at a grand country estate. Irrevocable occurences happen during this summer of 1976 which come back to haunt these people almost eleven years later. Tensions and stress build and build until the final shocking ending. Great stuff!

This is another excellent book from Ruth Rendell...the plot creeps along like a wounded shadow, unsettling the reader as ONLY Rendell can. The characters are developed very well, quirks and all.

The writing is brilliant, and Rendell manages not just to make Wyvis Hall a brooding force over the novel, but almost a character all in itself.

the book is mysterious, suspenseful, beautifull written, with a powerful narrative drive, and with some really great twists along the way which challenge all our assumptions about what we have read. The final chapter is positively chilling.

This is the first Barbara Vine book I've read and I really enjoyed it. I found the first couple of chapters hard to get through, but I'm so glad I did stick with it. Vine does a good job of going back and forth between the present and the past, though occasionally I had to reread a little bit to fully stay on track. The end certainly had a wonderfully suspenseful twist that leaves a person wanting more.

Unlike the vast majority of mystery writers, Rendell/Vine can actually write-- the characters are richly drawn, the plots incredibly convoluted, and the writing is sheer pleasure to read. This is not a mindless, hackneyed mystery to skim while on the train, though, it requires real attention; and while the murderer is obvious from the beginning, the questions of who was actually murdered and why are very slowly revealed as the plot thickens.

I'm generally a fan of Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine, and this is a terrific and chilling example of what makes her such a great writer. The plotting is terrific and the mix of characters is extremely effective. However, best of all, the ending stops a reader cold. It reminded me, in a good way, of how William Faulkner ends "Sanctuary." This is not to be missed by Vine fans or general mystery lovers.

This book brings back so many memories...I read it in college and it made such an impact that after all these years it still stands out among the hundreds of books I have read since. None of the characters are all very sympathetic (what does one expect from a bunch of self absorbed college age kids?), but what does impress, even more upon re-reading, is how much control Barbara Vine has over the storyline. The alternating time frames, from past to present and vice versa, actually move the plot rather than slow it down. And it is executed so unobtrusively and in a deceptively low key manner, that we do not realize how completely gripped we are by events as the story rushes to its inevitable yet unpredictable resolutions. It almost seems like nothing is going on but Vine knows exactly where she is going and where she wants to take you. Not many to who can compare her during her peak years.

I will just say that for me this was one of Ruth Rendell's most
fascinating books. An English countryhouse, a bunch of twisted people and a rather inconvenient discovery on the grounds of the house provide the backdrop for a chilling, clever mystery.

Unless you are aware that the book itself IS a mystery, and read the crucial 2 questions on the backof the book and continually remind yourself of them, the first 3 quarters of the book seem like theyre heading in the direction you want and expect them to...but if youre not alert and pondering, the end will grab you like a string...the persn you don't expect, the person who is accused of killing the person who you didnt expect...its all baffling for a traditional mystery, but it even has a happy ending to go along with it!