No Night Is Too Long

So far I have read only three of Barbara Vine's novels. I was dissapointed by THE BRIMSTONE WEDDING and ANNA'S BOOK, but I will keep coming back to Vine/Rendell on the strength of this beauty. A dark, angst-filled, and twisty tale of slippery love. People who give it, people who don't. For these characters, acheiving love is like pushing two ends of the same magnet together...the more they try to be together the more frustrated they get, the more frustrated they get...well, you'll see what happens when they get frustrated.Actually the big twist in the middle of the book I saw coming a mile away, but I still was swept along in the sheer masterful plotting of it all. Rendell/Vine neatly bridges the gap between gooey pulp and high-brow literary. This one is a flat-out gem.

There is probably no other writer with as cold and bleak a vision as Ruth Rendell. Even in her slightly warmer incarnation as Barbara Vine, her take on human foibles and on matters of love tends to be chilly and steely-eyed. (Some people dislike her for this reason -- not me, I think she's amazing.)Rendell has said that she created the new "Vine" line to be able to take a more human, personal viewpoint than she did in the Rendell books -- well, perhaps so, although the main character Tim Cornish, from whose viewpoint this is told, is vintage Rendell, i.e., hard to like. Tim is not evil but confused, self-absorbed, befuddled by emotions, weak and fumbling. That said, this haunting novel stands out among Rendell's/Vine's other superb works -- and that's saying something, as she is probably the finest writer in the mystery/thriller, bar none. Like her other books, this one features a sinuous plot that keeps springing subtle and believable changes on you, and characters that are just odd enough to be interesting yet still realistic, and throughout, her elegant and poetic writing.It's also her only real love story. Yes, many of her novels feature the theme of obsessive love -- that's one of her recurring favorites -- but rarely does love do anyone any good in a Rendell or Vine novel. But, without spoiling the ending, let me note that when I finished this novel I was shocked to discover that for the first time, she'd actually written a book where she gave love a chance to succeed. That in itself is remarkable, and the way she pulls it off, even more so.If you've never read Rendell or Vine, this is a terrific one to start with (personally I don't think the Vines, other than this and "The Brimstone Wedding" ever came up to the Rendell quality). If you're already a fan, well, there's nothing I need to add.

After reading the very first chapter, i knew i was going to love this book. I was mesmersised by the first chapter, and already felt so involved in the story that it was unbelieveable. I've long been aware of Rendell's genius, but this was a shock even for me. The story actually moves pretty slowly, but the suspense and tension is just unbearable. You know very well that cataclysmic events are going to occur, but of how and when you know nothing. The sense of wonderment you feel at Rendell (in any of her incarnations) is simply awe-inspiring. You read and read and read, completely unable to tear your eyes from the story, even though its moving with a slow pace. Its thrilling, suspenseful and tense. And i loved it. Barbara Vine is slightly more literary than her Rendell books, i have found. (Just an observation)The plot is simple, but very strong. There are good, strong, simple, sensible, realistic twists. They turn the story once or twice, adding just the right amoung of freshness and surprise. The characters are superbly well drawn and believeable. and quite likeable, despite their flaws. The completely unsettling thing about Rendell's books are the fact that all the people are quite, quite normal. Tim is just a normal, young man, struggling with his identity and sexuality, experiencing the world for what it really is. He's nothing special. Has no psychological abnormalities, is not in any damaged And yet he is driven to murder. This novel is a bravura display of how circumstances can drive people to commit horrible deeds. Quite sane, normal people, slowly taken hold of. THis is a wonderful book. A masterpiece. The writing is just first class, and the descriptions of the places in which this novel are set are simply stunning. I have never been to Alaska (in particular) but through her descriptions i found myself transported there. And now, my window to it is closed, i want to visit it. It's a desire that should pass in a few days, but its a powerful thing to feel simply after reading a book. (I felt the same after reading "The Empty Chair" by Jeff Deaver, wanting to visit North Carolina. Guatemala after reading about it in Kathy Reichs' "Grave Secrets", and the middle east after reading Jack Higgins' "Edge of Danger" and "Midnight Runner")I would reccomend this to everyone. I have in the past held of reading Barbara Vine, because i assumed that they would be something very different. SO different as to need publishing under a different name. My, though, was i wrong. After all, a Rendell by any other name is still a Rendell. These books still contain the intensity of subtle plot, great characters, good twists, and all the things i expect from Rendell. It has been months since i've read anything new by Rendell, and now i have discovered this new rich casket of wonders, my future in reading looks very bright indeed.

I love Ruth Rendell, I think she is the best current day mystery/thriller writer. I've read most of her books, including the "psychological thrillers", but I've only recently started reading the Barbara Vine books. I literally could not put this book down, and I finished it in one day. I can't remember the last time that was the case. I think it's one of her best books, it just hooks you. It's not fast-paced, but it keeps you guessing, she unfolds the story at just such a pace that you can't stop, you have to know more. I absolutely recommend this book, especially if you're already a Ruth Rendell fan.

Let me put it to you this way. I lent my sister my copy of this book and even though she is family, even though we are very close, and it is a paperback, I want my book back! You can only own No Night Is Too Long after you have read it. Otherwise, you should pass it along to someone who can appreciate the eternal literary mastery of Barbara Vine, or return it to the rightful owner.No Night Is Too Long, as all of Barbara Vine's novels, focuses on the horror of unchecked extreme behavioral impulses. Acts committed by people that we may not like much but with whom we can all find some emotional sympathy, some common ground of good intentions."No Night Is Too Long" is a wonderful title for a book that takes us to Fairbanks, Alaska. It's a long journey from England, a long cruise from Seattle, a long trip from an obsessed homosexual affair that begins in an English university and ends in an old elegant hotel in Alaska. But nothing in a Barbara Vine novel is ever that uncomplicated. Reading this book, like all of her books, is the next best thing to a long cruise where you confront the possibilities of the unexpected but must remind yourself often that those possibilities are unlikely in your own life. So one cruises along safely, reading this book protected from the unrealities put before you as though they were being viewed under a microscope. Fascinating, disorted, and vaguely familiar. Who can resist looking at anything under such glorious magnification? Yet, who can look at it for more than a few moments? Barbara Vine compells us to take a very long look and enjoy every creepy, uncomfortable moment.Someday, Barbara Vine will take her rightful place in the world of English Literature. She transends the genre of mystery writer, over and over again. For now, it appears that only people who truly love the genre seem to be privy to the richness and grandeur of her novels. I would exhort all readers of quality fiction to start with No Night Is Too Long to get to know Barbara Vine and Ruth Rendell. This is no gentle introduction to her disturbing tales of unexpected behavioral horror but it would be a great lead-in to Gallowglass, A Dark Adapted Eye, and A Fatal Inversion.