A Fatal Inversion (Plume Fiction) [Mass Market Paperback]

Ruth Rendell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995 | Series: Plume Fiction

Probing deeply into the roots of evil in the lives of five people, and the lasting effects of deception and transgression, award-winning author Barbara Vine creates an obsessively engrossing tale of suspense and psychological intrigue. "Her scope is dazzling".--New York Times Book Review.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A Dark-Adapted Eyefirst novel under the pseudonym Barbara Vine by the British author Ruth Rendellwon the MBA Edgar. This is the second, a mystery like all her works, transcending the genre. Evoked in beautifully ambient writing, the setting is a rural estate, Wyvis Hall, which Adam Verne-Smith inherits at age 19. Inverting the word "someplace," Adam names his eden Ecalpemos where he revels through a summer with four companions. The months drift by until a horrible event scatters the lotus eaters, and Adam sells the property. For 10 years, the former friends live secure in the belief that they alone know their terrible secret. Then the present owners of Wyvis Hall dig a grave for their dog in the pet cemetery on the grounds and unearth human remains. Making headlines, the news stuns the Ecalpemos conspirators, long since established as proper London citizens. The author virtually defies one to pause between incidents in the exquisitely controlled developments that peak in a marvel of irony that no reader could foresee.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Vine is the pseudonym of noted mystery author Ruth Rendell, and this second Vine novel repeats the quality we've come to expect from this master writer. The story centers around a house and its young owner, 19-year-old Adam. When we meet Adam, however, he is ten years older, unhappily married and the devoted, obsessive father of a baby girl. Adam learns that two skeletons have been found at the house, which he had sold shortly after inheriting it. Slowly, Vine reveals the events of Adam's first summer in the house and what Adam and his friends did ten years before. We share Adam's anxiety as the police try to determine who the bodies are. The suspense is double-sidedwhat happened and why, and how will Adam deal with whatever materializes. There is a nifty surprise at the end, and Vine strings us (and Adam) along with consummate skill. Louise A. Merriam, L.E. Phillips Memorial P.L, Eau Claire, Wis .
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Plume (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452270707
• ISBN-13: 978-0452270701
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,930,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dance To The Music Of Time, November 3, 2002

By 

sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Fatal Inversion (Hardcover)

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.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As mysteries go, this is one of the best., June 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Fatal Inversion (Plume Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)

*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!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tensions build and build as you read this book., August 1, 2005

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Fatal Inversion (Plume Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)

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!