The Other Side of Midnight (Mass Market Paperback)

A Review

Know this, reader, before you dare read this book: Once you start reading this book, your attention will be on it alone, and you will, without a doubt, be reading it to the exclusion of all other activities until it is finished. This general rule applies for all of Sidney Sheldon books, and with good reason.
The first Sheldon book I read, Rage of Angels, became my favourite single book of all time. At the time, I was a fantasy genre only fan, but as soon as I read it, I knew that fantasy would not be the only genre I would read. Well, that was only several months ago, and now I'm reading other books by Sidney Sheldon, and others such as Michael Crichton, Nora Roberts as J.D. Robb, Anne Rice, Janet Evanovich, and Iris Johansen. Since Sidney Sheldon was the first author that got me into all books non-fantasy, I highly respected him and his writing.
After reading Rage of Angels, I read four other Sidney Sheldon books. (His newer ones, none of his older ones!) They were all good, but none of them compared to, what I thought, was the best book of all time, Rage of Angels. Recently I purchased the Other Side of Midnight to discover what his other older novels were like.
I just finished The Other Side of Midnight last night (I stayed up reading until nearly midnight, even when I wasn't supposed to!), and I am speechless. That night, I nearly cried in awe of how sad but great the book is. Truly, Sidney Sheldon is a legend and a prodigy of literature.

The Other Side of Midnight is not just a book. It is nothing short of an epiphany. Reading it, I kept on forgetting that this book was written nearly three decades ago! (!973). This book is a flawless work of art, a masterpiece of writing and up to this day still one of the best fiction books of all time.
Part of the reason I liked Rage of Angels so much was because Sheldon writes in a fashion so that one is really emotionally attuned to the main character. TOSOM was mildly different. When (Name removed so that no spoilers are given) dies near the end, I sighed in a depressed way, and continued on. That was all. But that alone gives some indication towards how powerful this book is. When one reads as much as I do, one becomes almost indifferent to the joys, struggles, and deaths of characters in books.
When I reached the end of TOSOM, I shrugged and put the book back on my shelf. I wasn't tired, but I didn't want to wake up anyone else in my house by selecting another book to read in the morning. And then, as I lay in bed with the lights out, I reflected on how incredible this book is. It is flawless, and without a doubt, a contender against Rage of Angels for my favourite book I've ever read. One cannot begin to imagine how emotionally powerful this book is. Or should I say powerfully emotional? Both.

What are my complaints? Well, like all Sidney Sheldon books, I hated the cover art. (Okay, let me explain something: nearly every Sheldon book has two different kinds of covers: one with the predetermined, default artwork on it. This artwork is usally made up of various objects reflecting elements in the book: roses, glasses, needles, etc. The other type of cover is a cheap, uncreative picture of a woman lying sideways, facing the reader, but in black and white, and very indistinguishable as to appear in some way, enigmatic.) The cover of my copy of TOSOM was as such. Why did I particularly despise the cover? Well, earlier this year one day, when I was looking at Sidney Sheldon books in a second hand bookstore, (Don't worry, I would never get any second-hand books!) I saw a really old copy of TOSOM. And yet, if I saw it again this day, I would buy it in an instant. Barely and vaguely I can recall the cover art (The shadows of two individuals, a woman and a man, against a sun rise/set, in a very beautiful setting!) And yet clearly I can remember the art to be undetailed and simple. I think this art was done with the movie in mind. (Yes, there is a TOSOM movie. Yes, it came out a while ago. No, I have not seen it. Yes, I am going to see it.) After reading the book, and bringing that cover art back into my mind, it sort of influenced my mind in a peaceful, serene, blissful even!, but sad way.

There is nothing left for me to say, except that this book and Rage of Angels are the two most influential books I've ever read. What one reads slowly changes that one's outlook and perspective on things, and although some books do it less or more than others, TOSOM is possibly out of all the books I've read the one that has had the most profound effect on me.
I'm not even enjoying writing this review by now. To me, it seems that my review interferes and violates the near-holy sacredness with which I now worship this book. That is because I feel my own writing talents, even though I am only writing a review for the book, cannot begin to accurately describe how unbelievable TOSOM truly is. This book is undeniably powerful to a nearly overwhelming extent.
All I can say is that one, after fully reading this review, would be an utter fool not to read The Other Side of Midnight, if he or she has not already read it.