Review: The art of storytelling
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 30, 2012
That's right: storytelling. That's what it's all about, isn't it? That's why most of us read books; we want to be transported into a different place and time. The Red Church does exactly that, which is praise in itself. You're taken by the story, you "admit" it as a form of truth, in other words the suspension of disbelief is at work. So you want to know what's going to happen, the suspense plays with your nerves and you're even scared at times. But that's not the whole point. All the characters in the story either become storytellers or storytellees (don't know whether that word exists, though...) themselves...And that type of construction in art always wins me over. It' modern, even post-modern, as it places the narrative in a kind of mise en abyme: there's a story inside the story. There's even a bunch of stories inside the story. There's even a "Storie" inside the story: yeah, the woman investigating the case (the story...) is aptly named like that. And I also like it when onomastics are used in a clever way, and when an author doesn't just name his hero Mike or John or Steve for no reason whatsoever. It's also very interesting to have more than just one narrator, as it gives you access to more than just one point of view. It's always a way to tell you that you don't have to believe everyone. Hell, you're even allowed not to believe a single one. All this might be nothing more than a yarn...A story can be more than just a story, then. It can be a ghost story, a legend passed from one generation to the next. It can be a myth regarded as truth. And it can be religion itself. Think of the title of the book: The Red Church. Of course there's a paradox to be found here, red symbolising evil, and church being, well... Church. The people listening to stories having a mythical or religious status can be led to act in a defined way.A ghost story can frighten you out of frequenting a certain area or certain people. When it becomes myth it can lead you to harm or even kill someone, whether he's really guilty or just a scapegoat. In The Red Church the power of words is omnipresent in this way.In the secluded and rural area where the narrative unfolds, old family names perdure and one is feared, as it's tied to the legend of the Red Church. Once again, the choice of name is relevant: they're the McFalls. During the American Civil War in the 1860s, it was a reverend McFall who painted the church red and started claiming he had visions. The symbolical "fall" of the place dates back to that era. Fear, resentment and rejection date back to that moment, when a demented man started telling stories, which triggered violent acts, which led following generations to tell what had happened... Just like a loop, everything is connected and keeps coming back: the stories, the names, the horrors...At one point in the story, David mutters a silent prayer for another victim. Among other things, he says "The Devil spins a mighty good yarn." I don't know whether Mr. Nicholson is a devil, but I say he spins a mighty good yarn too with Red Church.