The Night of the Hunter (Film Ink Series) (ISBN 1853753203)

Book Description:
When Ben Harper is taken to the gallows for a bank robbery killing, he leaves his young children to hide the stolen money. Shortly after, a stranger comes to town, claiming to know their father. It soon becomes clear that he has a dark purpose. David Grubb's haunting masterpiece flows through the Depression-era landscape with the lyrical magic of a fairy tale as the children flee their malevolent hunter to a terrifying end. The Night of the Hunter was adapted for the screen in 1954, the year after its original publication. Directed by Charles Laughton and starring Robert Mitchum, it is regarded as one of Hollywood's finest films of the fifties.

As Good As Anything Written By Bigger Names:
Hemingway, Steinbeck, Tolstoy et al, will always have a place in the pantheon of literature. In this reader's opinion, this novel warrants a little niche in that pantheon for Davis Grubb, whose lean, muscular and evocative prose propels this thrilling story, driving it toward the inevitable conclusion. Charles Laughton's movie based on this book was an interesting effort and well done, but if one hasn't read the unsentimental, un-varnished novel, then somewhere a potential reader is missing the juice. Like Laughton's screen effort the novel is indeed pregnant, but not at all unwieldly; rather, the book, slender as it is, is bursting with some of the best writing put to paper in any genre and is as good as anything ever written by the more prolific Masters. Grubb's unpretentious style looms up from the pages like the reek of the bottom waters at river's edge. Subtle by turns, the terrifying game of hide-and-seek between light and shadow jumps at the most unexpected moments, just like the novel's villain with his knife. Filled with archetypes and certainly many levels of meaning for interpretation by the reader, this is one novel one won't forget soon. It stalks memory and, personally, I find myself still returning to the book from time to time to savor a magnificently rendered mood, and a time, place and story that is as fresh and exciting now as it was almost half a century ago. Writing true and honest profiles of such diverse characters, let alone children, is no easy thing, and Grubb's work is peopled with wholly believable characters who truly cast shadows, live and breathe, even in the periphery. This is part of the novel's triumph. I cannot recommend Night of the Hunter too highly. It's simply a "must read" for anyone who loves good literature, fine writing --and isn't predjudiced against genre. In this beautiful, sinister work, Davis Grubb breaks the mold.

Unforgettable:
With the publication of a new edition Amazon seems to have deleted the earlier reviews. They were unanimous in their praise for Night of the Hunter, I bought the book in Italy to read on the trains. There wasn't much of a selection. I expected a routine crime thriller. We have cheapened superlatives to the point where they really don't resonate. If I tell you it's the best book I have ever read, I may be setting your expectations so high that it can never meet them. It did change my life. Grubb provides one of the best "bad guys" in literature: the Reverend Harry Powell. A bad guy needs a hero. Powell is so bad that it takes two heroes to offset him. The first is John Harper, the older brother. If you happen to have two children -- an older brother and a younger sister -- the story of their relationship has immense power. The second is Rachel Cooper. She is my favorite character in my reading life. She is immensely strong, with a forgiving nature. It was her ability to forgive that helped me to forgive someone -- to change my life. Of course Robert Mitchum is well known for having played Reverend Powell in the movie -- for good reason. Lillian Gish played Rachel Cooper. She was wonderful. The movie continues to grow in stature, while the novel seems to be forgotten. (There is a musical version of Night of the Hunter out there somewhere.) This is an unfortunate, as Grubb deserves to be recognized as a great writer. I've been reading my way through all his works -- that I can find. Fools Parade is the most accessible -- terrific, and Shadow of My Brother is a very powerful story of racism that, unfortunately, is still highly relevant. Grubb wrote with strong emotional content. The emotional power of Voices of Glory is so high that I haven't had the composure to read it yet. I'm trying to understand how he did that, to be able to write like that myself.

The movie is one of the greats and so is the book:
Night of the Hunter has always been one of my favorite films: eerie, atmospheric, gripping are just a few words that come to mind for this masterpiece, the only film made by silent film star Charles Laughton. It gets better with each viewing. I only got around lately to reading Davis Grubb's source material and it's just as amazing and mesmerizing as the movie. If you like a book that gives you genuine chills, yet still creates really sympathetic characters, give this one a try. Of course, if you're like me and loved the movie, you owe it to yourself to see why they wanted to make it into a movie.

thrilling murder and consequences:
The Night of the Hunter is an old story and movie, but is a page turner as of today. Very exciting and intriguing.

Literary thriller:
During the Depression, a young brother and sister must flee from a murderous preacher who has infiltrated their home in search of a small fortune in stolen money. This novel deserves to be better remembered than it has been, for I have read few books that are better at evoking the psychology of children in a realistic way. But Davis Grubb doesn't stop there: the sociopathic preacher with his flexible interpretation of scripture, the lonely single mother whose yearning to experience love and make a secure home for her children makes her vulnerable, the lonely drunk whose personal weaknesses undermine his good intentions, the self-sufficient matriarch with an unshakable sense of duty--these and many other characters are vividly rendered. Grubb also skillfully evokes the lonely rural settings where his drama plays out. Such careful attention to character and setting makes for a scary and heartbreaking novel because we can imagine these things happening to real people in a real place. Highly recommended.