Reasons to read My Absolute Darling before you see the (inevitable) film version

I won't give anything away here, but it's obvious to any attentive reader that Gabriel Tallent's My Absolute Darling is heading toward violent, dramatic confrontation, and Tallent does not disappoint us. He narrates the conclusion of the action in this story with high drama and great literary flair. It's not always a compliment to describe a writer's style as cinematic, but in this case, yes, he has a cinematic way of presenting a complicated, tension-filled dramatic climax. The novel altogether comprises an unusual mix of high style and vivid dramatic action - few other such books come to mind, maybe two would be God of Small Things and Snow Falling on Cedars, both debut novels, like Tallent's - so you can see he's in exalted company (although these examples also show that great first acts are tough to repeat). One element that is a surprise in GT's novel is the slow and subtle conclusion; after all the drama of the climactic confrontation, the last two chapters are quiet in tone, even meditative, and GT makes a daring decision to leave some of the plot strands open at the end - ending on a note of possibility rather than resolution. I'm sure this novel will be optioned for film, but it would be a good idea to read it first, as the film will inevitably miss much of the subtle mood and psychological insight that makes this novel so strange and exceptional.

 

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