The Chalk man by C.J Tudor - book review

Thanks to Brags and his never ending supply of good books to share, that off late I get to enjoy some really good thrillers, about which I would’ve never ever known, if not for him. He introduced me to Peter Swanson, Keigo Higashino and now to C.J Tudor. Halfway through the book, as always, was curious to know how it ends and I googled to find out how others have felt about the book. Was stunned to know this was the debut effort by the author and more surprisingly the author is a lady!!! Before you jump onto your feminist guns, would suggest you to have a read at the book and then come to your own conclusion. The way she has narrated the story from POV of a guy and the amount of detailing that goes into his relationships with his friends and acquaintances, the terminology used and above all the twisted storyline and violence, altogether lulled me into thinking that it must be a male author.

One thing that scares me is the rise of such dark themed stories off late and their enormous success. Gone are the days of a simple robbery or a single murder calling for the best brain in business to detect and catch the criminal. Murders are more pronounced and deliberate and detailed in these stories and the motive is far more revolting and scary to say the least. Be it Swanson or Tudor, their storylines are gripping to say the least. Those who read their books, are like people who complain about the spine chilling scariness associated with horror movies. If you are seeing the movie, you should very well be prepared for what is going to hit you. Likewise for novels of these genre. They are not grey or subtly dark but full blown, out and out, evil that resides on certain characters and there is no two thought process about what is right or wrong. None of the characters tend to be preachy on what could’ve been, had things been any different and are unabashedly dark. Some even tend to relish it and all this potpourri of darkness gives an eerie feel to these genre of novels. There is a very strong undercurrent of Stephen King’s influence on most of these novels and their success surely is set to rub off on more such adaptations.
The chalk man, has all the ingredients of a horror movie setup – a dystopian village, which is neither in the past nor in future, though technically the events happen in 1986, a disgruntled set of people who range from borderline psychotic to psychotic. A story of five childhood friends and how events related to 2 love stories, that unfold on their village, change their lives forever. You would associate such a theme with B grade tamil/hindi movies, with low budget village setup and gaudy computer graphics. But the way the author lets your mind do the camerawork, the effects are as gory or as evil as you can think of. The narrator has so many flaws and psychologically strained that, over a period of time, even a simple conversation involving him sounds an alert, with something sinister waiting to happen. The way the story switches over a period of 20 years between 1986 and 2016 gives it a stark appeal and adds to the eeriness. The very first chapter is not for the weak hearted,  especially the casualness with which its dealt with and the ending, tying it up to the beginning, will surely send goosebumps.

Gils verdict – For those who put a simple query, do you recommend this book or not, my response would be akin to those who’ve just got down from a risky adventure park ride or a terrifying horror movie. You wouldn’t recommend it in your sane mind and yet would kick yourself and revisit , cursing all the way through. There are certain kinds of stories that, if said openly that you like them, would raise questions on the mental state of the reader. This is one such book, which is like dark chocolate, with way too much darkness. The way the author easily throws up, one murkier plot after plot and ties them all with effortless ease in the end, makes one wonder, how in the world can it be her first book!!? Would surely await for her next installment, but would be better prepared next time.