THE HARROWING PAST! THE HORRIFIC PRESENT!. Review on Remember Me - Mary Higgins Clark

A BRIEF BACKGROUND:Though I have already reviewed a novel written by Ms. Mary Higgins Clark, I realize many readers may not have heard much about her or read any of her novels. Therefore, before embarking on yet another review of one of her books, a brief resume of her life and achievements is, I think necessary. Mary Higgins Clark has authored fifteen novels and three collections of short stories. Born and brought up in New York City, she has served as the President of Mystery Writers of America. She lives in New Jersey.

Ms. Clark’s novels have always intrigued me by their manoeuvring plots, realistic characterization and engaging story telling. So one fine afternoon when I have little or nothing to do I rummage my sister’s book rack to lay hands upon another of Clark’s twisting and turning plots. The title tickles me -“Remember Me”? Misleadingly the suggestion of love and romance associated with such a dramatic caption does evoke pictures of moonlit nights and fragranceful breeze but the imagery soon falls flat as the first chapter itself acts as a curtain raiser on the tortuous story of the protagonist torn between a harrowing past and a horrifying present. Will she survive the catastrophe?

THE PLOT: Remember Me is the story of Menley and Adam. Adam is a successful lawyer while Menley is a children’s story writer. They have a little infant girl called Hannah. The story begins at a point where both Menley and Adam are struggling to get over the traumas of their painful past. They select the serene vistas of Cape Cod Island to smoothen the rough patches of their marital life. Adam rents Remember House, an eighteenth century landmark, to spend the vacation with Menley and Hannah, little knowing that the sinister past of the house will soon be destroying the tranquillity of their present.

While on vacation, Adam takes up the case of one Mr. Stephen Covey who is suspected of murder when his wife drowns in a violent sea storm. Thereafter, Adam and Menley know no peace. As Adam gets more and more involved in the case he finds lesser and lesser time for his wife and child. His absences from the house triggers Menley’s depressive imagination. Nevertheless, Menley desperately tries to recover from the after effects (read shock) of the accidental death of her first born, Bobby, for which she holds herself responsible. But instead of regaining her mental equilibrium, she finds herself reliving the tormenting past again and again in the gloomy recesses and dark corridors of Remember House. As the scenes from the past get re-enacted again and again in the dead of the night to which Menley is the only witness, at times, it appears that Remember House has a persona of its own. But Adam feels that Menley’s mental health is deteriorating and she needs immediate psychiatric attendance. At this critical juncture, Adam finds sympathy and solace in his childhood friend Elaine Atkins who goes all out of her way to ensure that Adam’s married life is saved from further disaster.

But will Elaine be able to save Adam and Menley’s marriage? Is Adam making a mistake in defending Stephen Covey who is not as innocent as he seems? Will Menley be able to get over her past and lead a happy, normal life ever? Or will Remember House with its tenebrous history spell doom for Menley, Adam and Hannah? These are the questions which will find answers in the storm swept beaches of Cape Cod against the shadowy silhouettes of Remember House in Clark’s novel “Remember Me”.

THE PITFALLS:Again “Remember Me” is not one of Clark’s best novels. The suspense is slow to build up and at times deliberately cooked up. The investigation into Stephen Covey’s past is uninteresting and half hearted. A connoisseur of murder mystery novels will, by the middle of the story, be able to detect who the culprit is. Menley’s delusions seem made-up and it’s a real wonder why Adam is not able to experience the same, since Remember House, by its very description, appears to be a place where even a pin drop will make deafening noise.

While reading any murder mystery novel a natural comparison with great stalwarts is inevitable. I, being a Christie fan, often while reading a Clark, in spite of myself, indulge in comparing and contrasting Clark’s story telling with Christie’s narration. Perhaps it is not done because both belong to different times and places and conform to writing styles which are poles apart even though the genre is the same.

But doing so, I find Clark lacking in logical analysis of a murder which Christie excels in. For Christie, a murder is somewhat like a work of art in which a lot of thinking and precision (from the side of the culprit) go in while unmasking the murderer is a greater and higher form of creative challenge and exercise in logical deduction and mental acumen. Clark’s end is abrupt and slap shod as though trying to hastily patch up the loose ends, at least, in this novel.

CONCLUSION:Having said all that I still have to assert that critiquing a novel is only possible after one has thoroughly engaged oneself in reading it. Being judgmental is easy. But penning a story is not easy. A lot of thought and research go into writing a story and most of all a novel. Therefore, I recommend this book to all and sundry. Read it. Muse over it. Evaluate it. You may find some interesting point to counter this review.

Till then....

Happy Reading