2014 Reading: Invisible Darkness

"Why would anyone want to write a book about one of the most savage sprees of violence in North American history?" (Introduction, pg vii)

Why WOULDN'T they?!

It's no secret to anyone that one of the biggest passions in my life is serial killers. Movies, books, documentaries, memoirs, interviews... I can't get enough.

That being said, the next book on my list this year was Invisible Darkness by Stephen Williams, which is a true account of the events of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka (AKA the Ken & Barbie Killers in Canada).  I was familiar with the names and some of the actions before reading the book.  I am also a huge fan of the movie that was made about them called "Karla" in 2006 (mainly because Paul is played by Misha Collins, and anyone who knows me knows that I loves me some Misha).

I have talked about the movie to anyone who will listen since I saw it a few years ago.  There is this big controversy surrounding it because Misha says he hated doing that movie, that the director was psycho (and I think there was a restraining order against him at some point so he couldn't even come on the set), and he just didn't like the person he became while was getting in to the role. Here's something I wrote about the movie about a year ago when I was (unsuccessfully) trying the 365 Photo-A-Day project thingy:

[...] I know that Misha Collins hates this movie and wishes he had never made it and actively tells people not to buy it and not to watch it, but other than my love of all things Misha I HAD to watch it because of my love of all things to do with serial killers (NOT TO MENTION: my film school background). I think this movie is gritty and real and terrifying (like it’s supposed to be). It portrays two HUMAN BEINGS doing monstrous things (which is what frightens most people since they tend to let themselves believe that killers are just monsters instead of real people). Good art should make you feel something, whether it’s sadness or elation or complete and utter revulsion. As long as the feeling is REAL, any type of artistic expression (literature, art, music, film…) has done it’s job. And for me, this movie did its job. (Original Tumblr Post)

I figured, since I felt that way about the movie, I might feel the exact same way about the book.... That was not really the case.

I ended up taking a LOT of notes while I was reading this.  Just little things like my thoughts on the writing style and noting down some movie and book titles that Paul and Karla apparently liked.

The writing style is something that bothered me the entire time.  The writer does things from a 3rd person omnipotent POV, but keeps changing the focus of the story, sometime several times within a chapter.  First, he'll talk about Karla's thoughts, then jump back to her entire (extensive) family history, then jump to something that is happening across time now to a complete stranger, then focus on Paul, then jump to HIS extensive family history, then go back to someone else across town (maybe a police inspector this time)... and it just keeps going and going.

I sort of understand why he chose to write this way. Not being one of the two people about which this book was written, it's hard to get into the mindset without blatantly making shit up. SO, you have to improvise and get down what you do know. Facts.  Also, jumping from police inspectors, back and forth, is also a way of showing how Paul and Karla were able to get away with things for as long as they did.  The police were busy with other things and the horrible rapes/murders being committed around the St. Catherines and Scarborough area were just a few in a long line of unsolved cases that they were not remotely prepared to solve (either because of the lack of technology provided, or just general ignorance).

However, another aspect of the writing that I kind of found very interesting was that it reminded me of a mystery/thriller novel... Only, I knew who the bad guys were already and the violence just kept happening.

I don't know how reliable the narrator is in a book like this, but it brings the facts a kind of life force that merely reading a text book would not.  Ultimately, I think, more than anything else I've read or seen about these two, was that Karla was FAR more than just an accomplice/victim of circumstance. She had more than her fair share of delusions and schemes. Not to mention, she's described as a vampire: feeding off of the attention and sympathies and general energy of others rather than blood. Powerful stuff when you take into account her situation and the fact that it got her as far as it did in the trial process.

Bitches be crazy.

If you're into graphic depictions of violence and gore presented in a nonchalant, matter-of-fact way, then this book is for you!

If not then... Yeah, I'd find something else to read.