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A review by blearywitch
Dimiter by William Peter Blatty
5.0
Mmmmhhhh. Blatty's style is beauty.
"The code of the bessa could not be satisfied except by the killing of a male. And so one year after the death of the farmer, when wariness and vigilance had relaxed, Grodd the baker returned to the farmer's house where he happened to come upon his (the farmer's) two-year-old son as he played alone in a dreamy field, and there, amid the sun-washed, breeze blown poppies that were bluer and more vivid than Bengal light; among the hazel and cherry trees and the dogwood, the mustard and the parsley and the brabble of larks and the swaying, star flung Michaelmas daisy petals as white as the Arctic fox, Grodd watched as the boy chased a black-winged butterfly, listened to a cowbell's tinkle in the distance, remembered his youth, heard the little boy laugh, took a breath, and then shot him between his brindled eyes."
Blatty is extremely good at shock factor. It is also clear by now that he is really knowledgeable with regards to the Middle East, and the religions that originate there, as well as the languages.
It is sad that Blatty died 2yrs ago at 89yrs old, an extremely accomplished individual who came from absolutely nothing, had absolutely nothing other than determination and ambition. I plan to read more of his works.
I learnt of the existence of Peduncular hallucinosis, a rare and bizarre neurological condition in which people who were totally sane saw small and familiar cartoon characters like Porky Pig or Daffy Duck dressed in military uniform, frequently that of the Nazi S.S.
This book is unputdownable, filled with intrigue at every turn of the page, and completely unpredictable. Blatty is a master storyteller. I am glad I picked this book up (it has only been on my To Be Read shelf for 7yrs, lol).
Words: bessa, raki, mem (#13 in Hebrew)
"The code of the bessa could not be satisfied except by the killing of a male. And so one year after the death of the farmer, when wariness and vigilance had relaxed, Grodd the baker returned to the farmer's house where he happened to come upon his (the farmer's) two-year-old son as he played alone in a dreamy field, and there, amid the sun-washed, breeze blown poppies that were bluer and more vivid than Bengal light; among the hazel and cherry trees and the dogwood, the mustard and the parsley and the brabble of larks and the swaying, star flung Michaelmas daisy petals as white as the Arctic fox, Grodd watched as the boy chased a black-winged butterfly, listened to a cowbell's tinkle in the distance, remembered his youth, heard the little boy laugh, took a breath, and then shot him between his brindled eyes."
Blatty is extremely good at shock factor. It is also clear by now that he is really knowledgeable with regards to the Middle East, and the religions that originate there, as well as the languages.
It is sad that Blatty died 2yrs ago at 89yrs old, an extremely accomplished individual who came from absolutely nothing, had absolutely nothing other than determination and ambition. I plan to read more of his works.
I learnt of the existence of Peduncular hallucinosis, a rare and bizarre neurological condition in which people who were totally sane saw small and familiar cartoon characters like Porky Pig or Daffy Duck dressed in military uniform, frequently that of the Nazi S.S.
This book is unputdownable, filled with intrigue at every turn of the page, and completely unpredictable. Blatty is a master storyteller. I am glad I picked this book up (it has only been on my To Be Read shelf for 7yrs, lol).
Words: bessa, raki, mem (#13 in Hebrew)