Book 59/52
My Rating: 5/5
As the year is coming to an end, and so is my book collection, this one happens to be the penultimate book from my personal collection, which was yet to be read. Slated as the most lethal book by Irving Wallace, I kept it for the year-end :) And what a jolt it has given me, I must say, totally unpredictable, with a shocking but believable ending it had. Very straightforward story of a young small-time journalist, Adam Malone, who falls head over heels over a Hollywood hottie who happens to be the sex symbol in the mid 70’s (Sharon Fields). That actually made me Google if this could be based on Sharon Stone’s life, but other than just the first name, this had no resemblance since this book was written in 1973, she was hardly 15. One day, he comes across some like-minded men in a bar who were in love or awe of Sharon Fields big time. They make a fan club and decide to pick her up one fine day and take her to a secluded place, and give her all the love they can, as per them, all her movies and her characters in the movies were kind of inviting men from all walks of life to force their love on her, as she liked surprises. They don’t consider it a kidnapping or crime because, as per them, she was lonely and craving for good company. One of the club members was a Vietnam vet working as a mechanic in a garage where he gets no respect from anyone, least from the females whose cars he repairs. One of them is an old Accountant who wishes to retire soon after one last love affair with his dream girl. The last member was an Insurance agent who had an eye on her for so long that he felt he deserved to love her and be loved by her in return, too. I must say the first 200 pages cover these perverts' perspectives so amazingly, and Irving Wallace even convinced me, the reader, that no crime is being committed, and it will all turn out to be good as expected in the first place by club members. Especially the way they plan and execute the kidnapping, all of their involvement and the final outcome were seriously thrilling. But the situation turns from bad to worse when, after the kidnapping, one of them decides that since they have kidnapped her, they might as well force themselves on her till she gives up and accepts them for the next two weeks that they planned to keep her in the place. Rest of the story is a game of cat and mouse chase as one thing leads to another and Sharon has to handle them in a way where she survives the ordeal and also that she plans to take a revenge from all of them in such a way that they pay a very heavy price for their deeds, how she does it and how it all leads to the shocking ending is the rest of the novel. Although it was 530+ pages, it was a page turner and totally unputdownable for me. Barring the detailed sexcapades of all four in their own ways, it was a fantastic read, as the author describes their lusts in great detail, not too much to my liking in those great details, at one point in time. Also, I must mention, our own Mr Satyajit Ray, too, gets a mention in this one as it revolves around Hollywood, the capital of the movie world.
Do let me know if you have read this one, as unfortunately, even after selling the book rights for a movie decades ago, this still hasn’t been adapted by anyone yet. Also, let me know if you have a personal Irving Wallace favourite. I have read quite a few from him, but none of them is as memorable as this one turned out to be for me.
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