|
|
| Plot Summary of Quietus |
|---|
"
Viking, Jul 2003, 24.95, 596 pp.
ISBN:0142003069
The plane heading for Boston crashed in the New Hampshire White Mountains. Rescuers save five survivors including Kylie O'Rourke and her spouse Jack trapped inside the doomed flight. Kylie relates a strange story that just before crashing, she noticed a raven perched on the plane's wing. Kylie also insists that she and the other four survivors were restlessly hiking the mountain though they were found inside the fuselage when they were rescued. No one else who lived to talk about his or her harrowing experience substantiates Kylie's claim.
Kylie's psychologist insists what she says she saw and believes happened was caused by post-traumatic stress combined with drug stimulated hallucinations. However, Kylie continues to see a raven with human eyes and turning paranoid insists that the malevolent beings she saw on the mountain are after her while people in good health that she knows start dying.
QUIETUS is a strong suspense tale that has readers questioning whether it is a psychological/medical thriller in which Kylie is losing her mind, a horror tale, or a combination of both. The story line is exciting but the wide use of psychological, medicinal, and spiritual elements enhances the audience's perceptual guesses yet slows down the pace of the plot. Still, Kylie is a wonderful lead protagonist walking a thin line between insanity and real danger, which is what makes Vivian Shilling's novel hauntingly work.
Harriet Klausner
"
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
|
"Kylie O'Rourke and her husband, Jack are on their way back from a vaction that they took with their friends, another couple. When their plane crashes suddenly in the mountains of New Hampshire, the four are among the only survivors. After getting over the initial shock, Kylie realizes that some strange things are happening.
Kylie vividly remembers a conversation she had with a man who she later learns died on impact. Later she discovers that a strange raven with human eyes is following her around, and she feels that she is being stalked by a strange presence that she felt in the in the first few minutes after the crash.
When the survivors of the plane crash start to die, Kylie and her friends do some investigating and learn that what is happening to them is a part of a complex web of events. According to ancient superstitions, they have escaped death once, and now it may be coming after them. When the presence that has been following Kylie materializes into a man, Kylie does some research and learns that she is seeing the face of a man who had been executed for a murder years before, and Kylie knows details about the crime that only the victim and the killer could know.
As Kylie's supernatural experiences increase, she realizes that her own life may be in danger. "
fran laniado, Resident Scholar
|
|
| Review Analysis of Quietus |
|---|
|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
|
|
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 35%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 15%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Big vehicle disaster?
Yes
Kind of vehicle:
- plane
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Horror Story?
Yes
Horror plotlets
- the monster chased me!
- the ghost chased me!
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- business executive
- artist
Age:
- 20's-30's
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- can see into the future
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Air?
Yes
Air:
- passenger plane
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 5-7
- 8 or more
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
- descript of kissing
- touching of anatomy
- impregnation/reproduction
- actual description of sex
- rape (yeech!)
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
|
|
|
Click here for more information about this book
Vivian Schilling Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 fran laniado
SCHOLARS:
| |
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Feedback
Most recent discussions:
General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
George W. Bush
2:32:02 AM
Anonymous
2:03:39 AM
Erin Hunters
9:00:01 PM
Betty Mahmoody
6:00:22 PM
Judith McNaught
11:55:44 AM
Iris Johansen
9:03:43 PM
Norah Lofts
1:11:37 PM
Jane Rubino
9:32:45 AM
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twersky
11:28:51 PM
Faye Kellerman
12:37:41 AM
LaVyrle Spencer
7:25:23 PM
Robert James Waller
8:30:15 PM
Suzanne Weyn
12:50:03 AM
Deric Longden
2:54:11 PM
Wilma Counts
1:23:32 PM
Kin Platt
12:58:29 AM
Lilian Jackson Braun
10:05:52 PM
G.A. McKevett
10:03:31 PM
David Williams
10:03:01 PM
Steven Pressfield
10:02:30 PM
More message boards
|
