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The Cloud of Unknowing
David Sears grew up in the shadow of his brilliant younger sister, Diana, convinced by their father that she would accomplish great things. Instead, she married and had a son, Jason, who—like David and Diana’s father—is schizophrenic. Her husband, Mark, a geneticist, never made peace with Jason’s condition.
Perhaps this is why, when Jason drowns, Diana will not accept the authorities’ conclusion that his death was accidental. Or perhaps Diana is going mad. She begins to send David faxes and e-mails about ancient murders, driven by her growing belief that the earth is Gaia, a living witness to her son’s murder who could give evidence in the case she is building against her husband. David soon fears for his own family’s safety as the seductive qualities of Diana’s manic energy become impossible to ignore.
In The Cloud of Unknowing, Cook explores the power of blood and family mythology.
Perhaps this is why, when Jason drowns, Diana will not accept the authorities’ conclusion that his death was accidental. Or perhaps Diana is going mad. She begins to send David faxes and e-mails about ancient murders, driven by her growing belief that the earth is Gaia, a living witness to her son’s murder who could give evidence in the case she is building against her husband. David soon fears for his own family’s safety as the seductive qualities of Diana’s manic energy become impossible to ignore.
In The Cloud of Unknowing, Cook explores the power of blood and family mythology.
310 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1370
About the author
Thomas H. Cook
101 books365 followersThere is more than one author with this name on Goodreads.
Thomas H. Cook has been praised by critics for his attention to psychology and the lyrical nature of his prose. He is the author of more than 30 critically-acclaimed fiction books, including works of true crime. Cook published his first novel, Blood Innocents, in 1980. Cook published steadily through the 1980s, penning such works as the Frank Clemons trilogy, a series of mysteries starring a jaded cop.
He found breakout success with The Chatham School Affair (1996), which won an Edgar Award for best novel. Besides mysteries, Cook has written two true-crime books including the Edgar-nominated Blood Echoes (1993). He lives and works in New York City.
Awards
Edgar Allan Poe – Best Novel – The Chatham School Affair
Barry Award – Best Novel – Red Leaves
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – The Chatham School Affair
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – Red Leaves
Herodotus Prize – Fatherhood
Thomas H. Cook has been praised by critics for his attention to psychology and the lyrical nature of his prose. He is the author of more than 30 critically-acclaimed fiction books, including works of true crime. Cook published his first novel, Blood Innocents, in 1980. Cook published steadily through the 1980s, penning such works as the Frank Clemons trilogy, a series of mysteries starring a jaded cop.
He found breakout success with The Chatham School Affair (1996), which won an Edgar Award for best novel. Besides mysteries, Cook has written two true-crime books including the Edgar-nominated Blood Echoes (1993). He lives and works in New York City.
Awards
Edgar Allan Poe – Best Novel – The Chatham School Affair
Barry Award – Best Novel – Red Leaves
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – The Chatham School Affair
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – Red Leaves
Herodotus Prize – Fatherhood
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
September 25, 2018
Es un libro con frecuentes cambios de escenarios y saltos temporales, que al principio me ha costado un poco saber "donde" estaba. Conforme vas avanzando te vas adentrando en la historia y lo vas entendiendo.
Partimos de un hecho. Una muerte. Y a partir de ahí, todo son dudas, sospechas, un barco que parece que va a la deriva y que antes o después va a escollar, que afectará tanto al ámbito laboral como al familiar de nuestro protagonista. Me ha gustado ese clima de duda, de incertidumbre, de temor, incluso de desesperación a veces, que ha sabido transmitir el autor.
Es un libro que gira o que trata de hasta que punto una carga genética se puede llegar a heredar. ¿Qué credibilidad le darías a una persona cuando sospechas de su lucidez debido a su predisposición genética?, ¿cuantos descendientes pueden haberse visto afectados? y ... a pesar de tus dudas ¿tendrá algo de razón?.
Es un libro salpicado de citas y frases:
.... "Supongo que el miedo es como.. la cabeza de la medusa. Todo ese mar de tentáculos braceando. Quizás el amor sea también así. Y el odio. Quizás sean así todas las grandes emociones."
.... "La memoria es un estigma, mancha, enigma."
.... "La nada es peligrosa. ... Nada bueno llena un vacío."
.... " continuó mirando por la ventana con unos ojos capacitados para la visión, aunque no para la comprensión, como si tanto su mente como su corazón estuvieran sumidos en un estado de rigor mortis. "
No es mal libro, sin embargo, creo que no recomendaría su lectura.
Valoración: 6,5/10
Lectura: septiembre 2018
Partimos de un hecho. Una muerte. Y a partir de ahí, todo son dudas, sospechas, un barco que parece que va a la deriva y que antes o después va a escollar, que afectará tanto al ámbito laboral como al familiar de nuestro protagonista. Me ha gustado ese clima de duda, de incertidumbre, de temor, incluso de desesperación a veces, que ha sabido transmitir el autor.
Es un libro que gira o que trata de hasta que punto una carga genética se puede llegar a heredar. ¿Qué credibilidad le darías a una persona cuando sospechas de su lucidez debido a su predisposición genética?, ¿cuantos descendientes pueden haberse visto afectados? y ... a pesar de tus dudas ¿tendrá algo de razón?.
Es un libro salpicado de citas y frases:
.... "Supongo que el miedo es como.. la cabeza de la medusa. Todo ese mar de tentáculos braceando. Quizás el amor sea también así. Y el odio. Quizás sean así todas las grandes emociones."
.... "La memoria es un estigma, mancha, enigma."
.... "La nada es peligrosa. ... Nada bueno llena un vacío."
.... " continuó mirando por la ventana con unos ojos capacitados para la visión, aunque no para la comprensión, como si tanto su mente como su corazón estuvieran sumidos en un estado de rigor mortis. "
No es mal libro, sin embargo, creo que no recomendaría su lectura.
Valoración: 6,5/10
Lectura: septiembre 2018
August 6, 2007
It's not that this book was bad, exactly, but I just didn't think that it accomplished what it was trying to do. Another book delving into perception versus reality, this time with latent paranoid schizophrenia thrown in, all with the intent (so I felt) of drawing the reader into the cloud of unknowing as if they were experienceing it rather than just reading about it. I don't know if it was the format or the length, but it just didn't happen for me. Instead, I felt like we just had the classic case of an unreliable narrator who is somewhere between announcing and trying to hide that fact. By the time I got to the twist at this end, I thought "so this is it?" Not that I had been expecting the twist all along, but that I hadn't expected this book to need one if it had in fact created for me feelings of doubt and unreality instead of just describing them for me in unsatisfying snippets and quotes. I probably would have liked it better had it been straight up detective novel; a little more The Usual Suspects and a little less Fight Club.
January 26, 2019
Como dice una de las opiniones: "absorbente" sería un buen adjetivo para definir la novela de Cook.
Sencillamente bien escrita, con las palabras justas para ponerte en situación, trama muy bien trazada y con pocas lagunas. Puede que por la temática uno (al menos yo) espere un poco más, pero el tamaño -es más bien una novela corta, no llega a las 300 páginas- no da más de sí. Unos lo agradecerán, por lo escueto pero sin dejar nada suelto excepto la interpretación final, otros les hubiera gustado que Cook hubiera hecho el desarrollo más complejo, ya que hubiera ganado en profundidad.
"La diferencia entre locura e intuición"
Sencillamente bien escrita, con las palabras justas para ponerte en situación, trama muy bien trazada y con pocas lagunas. Puede que por la temática uno (al menos yo) espere un poco más, pero el tamaño -es más bien una novela corta, no llega a las 300 páginas- no da más de sí. Unos lo agradecerán, por lo escueto pero sin dejar nada suelto excepto la interpretación final, otros les hubiera gustado que Cook hubiera hecho el desarrollo más complejo, ya que hubiera ganado en profundidad.
"La diferencia entre locura e intuición"
September 14, 2013
There isn't a book by Thomas H Cook that I don't love, but is perhaps my favorite. A history of family mental illness, misunderstood genius, devotion, & the fear of what lurks inside each of us, this book just grabs you & doesn't let go. A young boy drowns, & his mother holds the father responsible, though the law cannot. In her tragic genius, she thinks she finds a witness to the act. When I grasped what she was going to use as evidence, I gasped, & wept for her. Also under the title The Murmur of Stones, read this book.
July 7, 2019
Thanks Mr Cook, finally a five star read! All the usual literary references are included but with a little more background this time. I wonder why all these quotes are so important to the author, as every book is filled with them.
This was an interesting look at schizophrenia and how it is passed on through heredity. Again, this was depressing and dark but beautifully written. I wish he would surprise me with a happy story 😊
This book was also titled The Murmer of Stones
This was an interesting look at schizophrenia and how it is passed on through heredity. Again, this was depressing and dark but beautifully written. I wish he would surprise me with a happy story 😊
This book was also titled The Murmer of Stones
October 21, 2022
Thomas H. Cook's other books have woven stories of psychological intrigue and kept me flipping pages as the stories flow and motivations become slowly apparent. This one, while containing the requisite kinks, didn't capture my imagination or leave much of a haunting aftertaste as, say, The Chatham School Affair, his best.
December 15, 2020
I have to say...I think the author overthought this. Trying to be different, intriguing or something...the cloud of unknowing is an apt title. No one seems to know exactly what is going on ever. It ended and I was glad...although I still was unknowing.
March 3, 2026
Vaig llegir el conte de Tolstoi “Tres morts”, al recull de Comanegra “Quanta terra necessita una persona” i, en obrir aquesta novel·la, me’l retrobo a la primera pàgina.
Posteriorment anirem trobant més cites, literàries i filosòfiques. Personatges que són grans lectors, amb memòria prodigiosa. També de pel·lícules, per un altre personatge.
El que m’ha agradat d’aquesta novel·la ha estat l’estratègia narrativa de Thomas H. Cook.
Són dos relats. Divideix cada un d’ells en capítols i els presenta alternats, ara un capítol d’un relat, ara un capítol de l’altre.
Un relat és un interrogatori que un policia li està fent a un detingut. És narrat en segona persona i en present. L’altre relat és en primera persona i en passat. La tipografia és diferent per a cada relat.
Thomas H. Cook és un mestre. Preguntes fetes en un relat es responen a l’altre. Una experiència lectora diferent i fascinant. Em trec el barret.
Coincideix que estem mirant la pel·lícula “A Civil Action”, i passa el mateix. Preguntes que es fan en un despatx es contesten a un altre despatx a quilòmetres de distància. Quina meravella!
Thomas H. Cook escriu amb la profunditat d’un filòsof i la bellesa d’un poeta.
Els diàlegs són boníssims, com les descripcions, las seva mirada sobre les coses i les persones, i les comparances i metàfores que s’inventa, que em deixen de pasta de moniato.
Una novel·la amb una qualitat literària molt alta, opino.
Un trastorn mental es pot heretar?
Els equívocs. Basar-se en supòsits. No tenir tota la informació. Les inseguretats d’un mateix.
Les obsessions, paranoies. Coneixerem casos reals i terribles, històrics.
Dubtarem de diversos personatges.
Thomas H. Cook és un mag.
M’agrada moltíssim que els autors s’esforcin en vestir finals sorprenents, que et deixen meravellat, i ho he trobat en Thomas H. Cook. En aquest cas però, l’autor opta per quelcom diferent.
Posteriorment anirem trobant més cites, literàries i filosòfiques. Personatges que són grans lectors, amb memòria prodigiosa. També de pel·lícules, per un altre personatge.
El que m’ha agradat d’aquesta novel·la ha estat l’estratègia narrativa de Thomas H. Cook.
Són dos relats. Divideix cada un d’ells en capítols i els presenta alternats, ara un capítol d’un relat, ara un capítol de l’altre.
Un relat és un interrogatori que un policia li està fent a un detingut. És narrat en segona persona i en present. L’altre relat és en primera persona i en passat. La tipografia és diferent per a cada relat.
Thomas H. Cook és un mestre. Preguntes fetes en un relat es responen a l’altre. Una experiència lectora diferent i fascinant. Em trec el barret.
Coincideix que estem mirant la pel·lícula “A Civil Action”, i passa el mateix. Preguntes que es fan en un despatx es contesten a un altre despatx a quilòmetres de distància. Quina meravella!
Thomas H. Cook escriu amb la profunditat d’un filòsof i la bellesa d’un poeta.
Els diàlegs són boníssims, com les descripcions, las seva mirada sobre les coses i les persones, i les comparances i metàfores que s’inventa, que em deixen de pasta de moniato.
Su mirada se tornó muy intensa, como la de quien observa atentamente un objeto muy grande o muy pequeño.
Una novel·la amb una qualitat literària molt alta, opino.
Un trastorn mental es pot heretar?
Els equívocs. Basar-se en supòsits. No tenir tota la informació. Les inseguretats d’un mateix.
Les obsessions, paranoies. Coneixerem casos reals i terribles, històrics.
Dubtarem de diversos personatges.
Thomas H. Cook és un mag.
M’agrada moltíssim que els autors s’esforcin en vestir finals sorprenents, que et deixen meravellat, i ho he trobat en Thomas H. Cook. En aquest cas però, l’autor opta per quelcom diferent.
February 2, 2011
It was bound to happen sooner or later; my first Cook novel to elicit a lukewarm reaction. That’s not to say it was horrible; I don’t actually think it’s possible for Thomas H. Cook to write a horrible novel. The Cloud of Unknowing was a bit of a bust for me, though.
David and Diana Sears were raised by their brilliant but schizophrenic father. Now they are adults and they carry all the baggage from that often difficult childhood. David is a married lawyer with a teenage daughter. Diana is also married, with a young son who suffers from mental illness. We meet David as he sits in an interrogation room at the local police station. Diana’s young son, Jason, has drowned and Diana blames her husband, Mark. More than blames him; Diana thinks Mark has murdered their son.
The Cloud of Unknowing cleverly weaves David’s deposition and the back-story necessary to make Diana’s story both believable and suspect. David is, as many of Cook’s protagonists are, an average man – honest and hard working. This novel has less to do with the mystery surrounding Jason’s death, and more to do with David’s feelings of helplessness as Diana’s fears about Mark grow and as she pulls other people into her orbit.
I can’t fault Cook’s writing. As always, I turned the pages quickly. The Cloud of Unknowing just didn’t have either the emotional payoff or the clever twist I’ve come to expect from Cook’s novels. My ho-hum feelings about this novel in no way undermine my deep admiration for Cook’s work. I intend to read every single one of his novels: I love him that much.
David and Diana Sears were raised by their brilliant but schizophrenic father. Now they are adults and they carry all the baggage from that often difficult childhood. David is a married lawyer with a teenage daughter. Diana is also married, with a young son who suffers from mental illness. We meet David as he sits in an interrogation room at the local police station. Diana’s young son, Jason, has drowned and Diana blames her husband, Mark. More than blames him; Diana thinks Mark has murdered their son.
The Cloud of Unknowing cleverly weaves David’s deposition and the back-story necessary to make Diana’s story both believable and suspect. David is, as many of Cook’s protagonists are, an average man – honest and hard working. This novel has less to do with the mystery surrounding Jason’s death, and more to do with David’s feelings of helplessness as Diana’s fears about Mark grow and as she pulls other people into her orbit.
I can’t fault Cook’s writing. As always, I turned the pages quickly. The Cloud of Unknowing just didn’t have either the emotional payoff or the clever twist I’ve come to expect from Cook’s novels. My ho-hum feelings about this novel in no way undermine my deep admiration for Cook’s work. I intend to read every single one of his novels: I love him that much.
May 2, 2019
Visit JetBlackDragonfly (The Man Who Read Too Much) at www.edenthompson.ca/blog
Published outside the US under the better title A Murmur of Stones, this 2006 novel is one of over thirty written by Thomas H. Cook since 1980, several winning awards including an Edgar from the Mystery Writers of America.
Davis and Diana grew up in the shadow of a brilliant father who encouraged them to read, recite, and investigate at a very high level. He was also a paranoid schizophrenic whose manic phases and illogical reasoning ultimately caused his death and may have been passed down. When Diana's son accidentally drowns in a pond, she becomes convinced her husband Mark actively caused it and she divorces him, spending her time obsessively gathering evidence against him while her brother feels obliged to repair the damage in her wake. The structure of the story has David recalling events to a detective, preparing the reader for the climax. Their history David recites is one of a family torn apart by madness and suspicion - as her deceased son was borderline schizophrenic, perhaps Diana will end up like her father. Perhaps David will.
While this was well written and held my attention, it lacked momentum and I can't recommend it. The events played out without surprise or twists, although you can tell he meant the cliffhangers to draw you in. I found it pedantic - it didn't go off course, just played out as you expect.
Interesting characters with a short way to go.
Published outside the US under the better title A Murmur of Stones, this 2006 novel is one of over thirty written by Thomas H. Cook since 1980, several winning awards including an Edgar from the Mystery Writers of America.
Davis and Diana grew up in the shadow of a brilliant father who encouraged them to read, recite, and investigate at a very high level. He was also a paranoid schizophrenic whose manic phases and illogical reasoning ultimately caused his death and may have been passed down. When Diana's son accidentally drowns in a pond, she becomes convinced her husband Mark actively caused it and she divorces him, spending her time obsessively gathering evidence against him while her brother feels obliged to repair the damage in her wake. The structure of the story has David recalling events to a detective, preparing the reader for the climax. Their history David recites is one of a family torn apart by madness and suspicion - as her deceased son was borderline schizophrenic, perhaps Diana will end up like her father. Perhaps David will.
While this was well written and held my attention, it lacked momentum and I can't recommend it. The events played out without surprise or twists, although you can tell he meant the cliffhangers to draw you in. I found it pedantic - it didn't go off course, just played out as you expect.
Interesting characters with a short way to go.
Read
January 11, 2009The Cloud of Unknowing, by Thomas H. Cook. A.
This is a book full of twists and turns with no clear idea how it will end even when it does end. Dave and Dianna have a terrible childhood to endure and try to live beyond. They were raised by their father who was a diagnosed schizophrenic who heard voices and often acted in ways that were only cognizable to him through the voices he acted upon, and sometimes cognizable to Dianna as well. This story is relayed to a detective by Dave, who tells the whole story in the second person, making it extremely strange. Mark and Dianna’s son, Jason, who seemed to have inherited some of his grandfather’s mental illness, drowned. The coroner after an inquest declared Jason’s death an accident. But Dianna is convinced that he was murdered. She thinks Mark, who was home that day, had something to do with it. In this book, Dianna becomes increasingly strange, Dave becomes increasingly suspicious, and Mark, now divorced from Dianna, feels persecuted and threatens a lawsuit. Also, there is some suspicion as to whether or not Dave and Dianna’s father was murdered. This book has the characteristic hallmarks of Cook: a web entangling everyone. It will be with me for quite a while and will probably rank among my top ten reads of 2007.
This is a book full of twists and turns with no clear idea how it will end even when it does end. Dave and Dianna have a terrible childhood to endure and try to live beyond. They were raised by their father who was a diagnosed schizophrenic who heard voices and often acted in ways that were only cognizable to him through the voices he acted upon, and sometimes cognizable to Dianna as well. This story is relayed to a detective by Dave, who tells the whole story in the second person, making it extremely strange. Mark and Dianna’s son, Jason, who seemed to have inherited some of his grandfather’s mental illness, drowned. The coroner after an inquest declared Jason’s death an accident. But Dianna is convinced that he was murdered. She thinks Mark, who was home that day, had something to do with it. In this book, Dianna becomes increasingly strange, Dave becomes increasingly suspicious, and Mark, now divorced from Dianna, feels persecuted and threatens a lawsuit. Also, there is some suspicion as to whether or not Dave and Dianna’s father was murdered. This book has the characteristic hallmarks of Cook: a web entangling everyone. It will be with me for quite a while and will probably rank among my top ten reads of 2007.
January 23, 2009
Unabridged. 7 CDs ~8.5 hours
Blurb - David Sears grew up in the shadow of his brilliant younger sister, Diana, convinced by their father that she would accomplish great things. Instead, she married and had a son, Jason, who -- like David and Diana's father -- is schizophrenic. Her husband, Mark, a geneticist, never made peace with Jason's condition.
Perhaps this is why, when Jason drowns, Diana will not accept the authorities' conclusion that his death was accidental. Or perhaps Diana is going mad. She begins to send David faxes and e-mails about ancient murders, driven by her growing belief that the earth is Gaia, a living witness to her son's murder who could give evidence in the case she is building against her husband. David soon fears for his own family's safety as the seductive qualities of Diana's manic energy become impossible to ignore.
And?? An EMO read is definitely not what I want at this time. I'll stick my hand in the barrel and see what pulls out next...
September 11, 2013
Another fine read by Thomas H. Cook. Not his best or at least not my favorite, but nevertheless still a very good book. Cook's fiction habitually leans toward darkness, but this was a particularly bleak piece, at its heart a difficult complicated relationship between brother and sister and the shadow their dead father casts on their lives, King Hamlet style. In a way this is an exploration of the implications of hereditary madness and from that perspective it's very interesting, so this book is primarily a drama and any mystery aspects are very much secondary. Anyone going in with the expectations of a literary thriller might be somewhat disappointed. Anyone looking to read a well written, complex, intelligent family drama would really enjoy this, so long as they don't mind the dark and depressing subject matters. As a character study, this is Cook at his finest and most astute. Very quick read, less than 4 hours.
April 23, 2017
Another gripping tale from the very talented THC. Cook excels at using figures of speech and this knowing alliteration, "Suspicion is a shifting shade," is a precursor of what's to come. He has a way with words (don't you just love alliteration?) and tells intriguing stories. First he builds a convincing case around one suspect, only to dislodge it and point the blame in another direction. Kept me guessing right up until the stunning climax.
January 20, 2008
Wow! A must read! This book grabs you from page one and literally propels you to it's final pages. I've rarely read a book that I "can't put down" and this is definitely the closest approximation. I think I started this one on Friday and finished about 11am Sunday night. For many of you, this truly would be a sitdown read!
July 13, 2017
A very bizarre novel about the horrors paranoid schizophrenia inflicts on three generations of a family. It was gripping, I'll give it that. But the format, with chapters alternating between the direct narration of events by the protagonist and the police interrogation of the same character, results in too much repetition without shedding much additional light on events.
October 5, 2008
I thought this one drifted along and it seemed like there would be an inevitable and foreseeable twist at the end, as there was. Didn't see much suspense or hold much interest, the description of the book was better than reading it.
March 13, 2022
Siempre es un gusto leer a THC, su estilo transmite nostalgia, angustia, soledad. Me encanta su forma de escribir, sus tonos oscuros para cada historia y cómo crea cada personaje uno más perturbado que otro.
February 23, 2017
Thomas H Cook is awesome.
December 24, 2017
Literary excellence, emotional acuity. What a combination.
May 31, 2025
Not my first choice — but good.
February 5, 2012
Although Cook's works tend to be too retrospective for my taste, it works for this book. In between chapters, the main character (David) is trying to explain his situation. Each chapter is a narration on what's going on in David's life, but the entire book is plagued by flashbacks of his childhood and descriptions of things that have already happened. In other books by Cook that I've tried to read, this obsession with repetitiveness bothered me. In this book, it's relevant to the mental states of the main characters.
I appreciated how Cook weaved in the references to sound and water. While I thought I had the character of Diana figured out 2/3 through (and it turns out I certainly did not) there were still some surprises near the end. David's history with schizophrenia and his paranoia of Diana made the closing chapters pleasantly creepy. What I enjoyed most, though, was the overall effect of the novel.
It's a simple read, but that doesn't take away its power and cause for you to question your own sanity. Everything is connected, and Diana's quest to prove this made me appreciate this despite the mental illness that was pinned to her. David seems to be tortured by his memories, no matter how innocent he may have been at that time. He doesn't seem to understand that everyone has memories that pop up when phrases trigger them, but maybe this is also something the author doesn't understand.
I may be generous in my rating because I'm not a big mystery fan. For a light mystery, it's pretty good. I happen to like novels regarding schizophrenia, and Cook's style--for this novel--pulled me into the deep end. I likely won't be reading any of his other works (been there, tried that) but this one might need a re-read long down the road.
I appreciated how Cook weaved in the references to sound and water. While I thought I had the character of Diana figured out 2/3 through (and it turns out I certainly did not) there were still some surprises near the end. David's history with schizophrenia and his paranoia of Diana made the closing chapters pleasantly creepy. What I enjoyed most, though, was the overall effect of the novel.
It's a simple read, but that doesn't take away its power and cause for you to question your own sanity. Everything is connected, and Diana's quest to prove this made me appreciate this despite the mental illness that was pinned to her. David seems to be tortured by his memories, no matter how innocent he may have been at that time. He doesn't seem to understand that everyone has memories that pop up when phrases trigger them, but maybe this is also something the author doesn't understand.
I may be generous in my rating because I'm not a big mystery fan. For a light mystery, it's pretty good. I happen to like novels regarding schizophrenia, and Cook's style--for this novel--pulled me into the deep end. I likely won't be reading any of his other works (been there, tried that) but this one might need a re-read long down the road.
September 14, 2025
¿Cómo una enfermedad genética puede afectar tanto tu entorno, tu vida y hasta tu propia cordura?
Diana es una mujer que desde temprana edad, estuvo bajo la presión de su padre, debido a su inteligencia y facilidad de aprender al igual que él.
Sin embargo su padre que sufría de esquizofrenia cada vez perdía más la cordura, y ella fue la que tuvo que lidiar con él hasta el día de su muerte.
Después de lo vivido con su padre, tendrá que repetir sus cuidados y atenciones con su hijo, que también sufre de esquizofrenia precoz.
La muerte de Jason, desencadenó una serie de eventos, donde Diana se cuestiona, sobre si su muerte realmente fue accidental o si fue un asesinado.
Su mente trabaja a mil por hora intentando atar cabos y buscando pistas para poder entender qué pasó con su hijo, pero ésto la llevó al fondo del abismo, llevándose también a su sobrina Patty, para alimentar en ella suposiciones y cuestionamientos por medio de casos por asesinatos.
David no sabe en qué momento todo empieza a salir mal, se cuestiona si su hermana también está sufriendo de esquizofrenia, su hija Patty cada vez se disocia más, metida entre libros e investigaciones junto a Diana.
Él empieza queriendo proteger a Diana, para luego preocuparse por lo que ella puede hacer y en como está instigando a su hija, teme porque pueda hacerle algo a su ex esposo Mark, que para Diana es el principal culpable de la muerte de su hijo.
Es una novela bastante intrigante qué juega con tu mente y te hace cuestionar quién es el que esta realmente cuerdo, tiene unas referencias basadas en hechos reales muy interesantes y citas filosoficas.
Diana es una mujer que desde temprana edad, estuvo bajo la presión de su padre, debido a su inteligencia y facilidad de aprender al igual que él.
Sin embargo su padre que sufría de esquizofrenia cada vez perdía más la cordura, y ella fue la que tuvo que lidiar con él hasta el día de su muerte.
Después de lo vivido con su padre, tendrá que repetir sus cuidados y atenciones con su hijo, que también sufre de esquizofrenia precoz.
La muerte de Jason, desencadenó una serie de eventos, donde Diana se cuestiona, sobre si su muerte realmente fue accidental o si fue un asesinado.
Su mente trabaja a mil por hora intentando atar cabos y buscando pistas para poder entender qué pasó con su hijo, pero ésto la llevó al fondo del abismo, llevándose también a su sobrina Patty, para alimentar en ella suposiciones y cuestionamientos por medio de casos por asesinatos.
David no sabe en qué momento todo empieza a salir mal, se cuestiona si su hermana también está sufriendo de esquizofrenia, su hija Patty cada vez se disocia más, metida entre libros e investigaciones junto a Diana.
Él empieza queriendo proteger a Diana, para luego preocuparse por lo que ella puede hacer y en como está instigando a su hija, teme porque pueda hacerle algo a su ex esposo Mark, que para Diana es el principal culpable de la muerte de su hijo.
Es una novela bastante intrigante qué juega con tu mente y te hace cuestionar quién es el que esta realmente cuerdo, tiene unas referencias basadas en hechos reales muy interesantes y citas filosoficas.
October 18, 2009
Rating: 3.5 stars
For some reason, this book failed to *wow* me; it was good, but it wasn't amazing. David Sears' family has been wrought with mental illness since he was a kid. He grew up under the frightening rule of a schizophrenic father, his sister Diana his only protector. Now adults, the roles have flipped as David tries to save Diana from herself after the drowning death of her young son, who was also schizophrenic. Although it was ruled an accident, Diana is convinced that her son was murdered by the boy's father. David becomes concerned, however, that his sister is operating not on rational suspicions, but on the illness to which their father succumbed. As the reader, you will have many questions as the narrative moves along - Was the kid murdered, or was it really an accident? Is Diana right in her belief that her ex-husband had something to do with the death, or is she experiencing the first signs of schizophrenia? Why is David relaying the whole story to a detective? Though I couldn't correctly predict the answers to these questions (there could have been any number of possibilities), the ending wasn't a great surprise. For me, it ended with more of a fizzle than a bam.
Don't get me wrong, though - I really like Thomas H Cook, and plan to read everything he's written. In at least two of his that I've read so far (this one and Master of the Delta), he's incorporated interesting, gruesome tidbits from history. Example: do a google search of the Yde Girl - it's quite fascinating.
For some reason, this book failed to *wow* me; it was good, but it wasn't amazing. David Sears' family has been wrought with mental illness since he was a kid. He grew up under the frightening rule of a schizophrenic father, his sister Diana his only protector. Now adults, the roles have flipped as David tries to save Diana from herself after the drowning death of her young son, who was also schizophrenic. Although it was ruled an accident, Diana is convinced that her son was murdered by the boy's father. David becomes concerned, however, that his sister is operating not on rational suspicions, but on the illness to which their father succumbed. As the reader, you will have many questions as the narrative moves along - Was the kid murdered, or was it really an accident? Is Diana right in her belief that her ex-husband had something to do with the death, or is she experiencing the first signs of schizophrenia? Why is David relaying the whole story to a detective? Though I couldn't correctly predict the answers to these questions (there could have been any number of possibilities), the ending wasn't a great surprise. For me, it ended with more of a fizzle than a bam.
Don't get me wrong, though - I really like Thomas H Cook, and plan to read everything he's written. In at least two of his that I've read so far (this one and Master of the Delta), he's incorporated interesting, gruesome tidbits from history. Example: do a google search of the Yde Girl - it's quite fascinating.
August 11, 2019
Mental illness is a cloud of unknowing and too little research or understanding exists to help people who seek help. Many are embarrassed to seek medical care for anxiety, fears and mental wellbeing due to the stigma still clinging to people who admit to having a weakness that has any connection to their thinking powers. When thinking about discrimination, remember the confused people who are pushed to the back of the bus, made fun of, beaten and killed most often by police and offered pitiful education.It isn’t color that makes scholarships almost impossible to obtain—it’s the mental and emotionally ill and abused who continue to be overlooked and forgotten. Being of different color can now be a big advantage with free food, education and so much more-job opportunities,housing-so much!
Being different does not make anyone crazy. Hurting someone does. Most people who plant bombs, shoot innocent students and crowds have never been identified as having a mental illness before they kill masses of innocent people. This book shows us just how twisted the beliefs about mental illnesses can be. Perhaps it takes a psychiatric patient or doctor to discover the message of this story. Reading the book is challenging, thrilling and exciting. I hope to see more books written to reveal how misunderstood mental illness is in our country. I hope mine will be one of them along with those of esteemed writers.
Being different does not make anyone crazy. Hurting someone does. Most people who plant bombs, shoot innocent students and crowds have never been identified as having a mental illness before they kill masses of innocent people. This book shows us just how twisted the beliefs about mental illnesses can be. Perhaps it takes a psychiatric patient or doctor to discover the message of this story. Reading the book is challenging, thrilling and exciting. I hope to see more books written to reveal how misunderstood mental illness is in our country. I hope mine will be one of them along with those of esteemed writers.
August 15, 2014
I borrowed this book from the library thinking it was another book with the same title; a little disappointed when I got it home. I'd never heard of this author, and had no idea what genre of book it belonged to, but I thought I might as well read it.
It almost goes without saying that I couldn't possibly write a book of any kind, so with that qualification/disclaimer in place I say, this is an ordinary book. A couple of times I felt engaged, but never intrigued. It seemed to overreach itself, and wanted to present genius characters without the ability to write them. Also, it appears to have been written with the view of being turned into a movie, which makes it stylistically episodic and a bit lacking in depth.
Opinion is divided in the other reviews here, and a few have said this book is not of his usual (presumably higher) standard. It took about four hours to read, so there's that to be said for it. If you find yourself at a loose end, or at home sick but not so sick you can't hold a hardcover book, this might be decent medicine.
My apologies, Mr. Cook, since I know it's much better than anything I could produce, and I know you labored over it very much longer than the four hours it took me to read it, but it was a pedestrian experience.
It almost goes without saying that I couldn't possibly write a book of any kind, so with that qualification/disclaimer in place I say, this is an ordinary book. A couple of times I felt engaged, but never intrigued. It seemed to overreach itself, and wanted to present genius characters without the ability to write them. Also, it appears to have been written with the view of being turned into a movie, which makes it stylistically episodic and a bit lacking in depth.
Opinion is divided in the other reviews here, and a few have said this book is not of his usual (presumably higher) standard. It took about four hours to read, so there's that to be said for it. If you find yourself at a loose end, or at home sick but not so sick you can't hold a hardcover book, this might be decent medicine.
My apologies, Mr. Cook, since I know it's much better than anything I could produce, and I know you labored over it very much longer than the four hours it took me to read it, but it was a pedestrian experience.
December 22, 2016
Yeah, I keep reading this guy's books because he does humans and their psyche so well that I just can't stop. I love stories that explore human nature more than they do action and shallow plots.
That said, this one was a little tougher to get through than usual. It was deeply unsettling (mostly because I have a slight fear of going insane) in a way that was engaging, but still lost momentum from time to time. I was captivated by the plot, though, and seeing the relationships unfold.
The fear the main character felt when he started suspecting his sister of following in their paranoid schizophrenic father's footsteps was very haunting. It grew even worse when his teenaged daughter got pulled into the intrigue and I admit that I was very unsettled by the whole thing, which is one of the things I appreciate most about Cook. His books don't have to be dramatic in the slightest but you can still feel how high the stakes are.
Like when you start wondering if maybe the main character's sister isn't the only one who's taking after their father, because those are some pretty dark thoughts David is having.
All in all, it's a good book, definitely. Not my favourite, but worth a read if you like psychological thrillers, almost bordering on horror.
That said, this one was a little tougher to get through than usual. It was deeply unsettling (mostly because I have a slight fear of going insane) in a way that was engaging, but still lost momentum from time to time. I was captivated by the plot, though, and seeing the relationships unfold.
The fear the main character felt when he started suspecting his sister of following in their paranoid schizophrenic father's footsteps was very haunting. It grew even worse when his teenaged daughter got pulled into the intrigue and I admit that I was very unsettled by the whole thing, which is one of the things I appreciate most about Cook. His books don't have to be dramatic in the slightest but you can still feel how high the stakes are.
Like when you start wondering if maybe the main character's sister isn't the only one who's taking after their father, because those are some pretty dark thoughts David is having.
All in all, it's a good book, definitely. Not my favourite, but worth a read if you like psychological thrillers, almost bordering on horror.
September 17, 2025
Un misterio psicológico intrigante.
Si bien al principio puede ser confuso percatarse de que la historia está narrada a partir de una analepsis intercalando dos tiempos entre pasado y presente, la lectura es fácil de seguir y el ritmo es trepidante. Entretejiendo el misterio de los acontecimientos con referencias, metáforas y reflexiones, que enriquecen la lectura y le agregan profundidad.
Debo destacar que uno de los mejores aciertos de esta lectura, es esa creciente sospecha de descubrir interrogantes como "¿Realmente hubo un asesinato?" "¿Quién está cuerdo y quién no?"
Además, de ese halo de dudas que rodean el pasado de los personajes.
Poco a poco el telón se va desentrañando, aunque, si se analiza detenidamente, desde el principio hay pistas que posteriormente pueden hacer que el giro de los acontecimientos sea predecible, como me sucedió a mi.
Aún así, es interesante ver cómo desarrollaron un tema tan complejo como la esquizofrenia.
Aunque no fue mi favorita, fue una lectura bastante interesante.
Si bien al principio puede ser confuso percatarse de que la historia está narrada a partir de una analepsis intercalando dos tiempos entre pasado y presente, la lectura es fácil de seguir y el ritmo es trepidante. Entretejiendo el misterio de los acontecimientos con referencias, metáforas y reflexiones, que enriquecen la lectura y le agregan profundidad.
Debo destacar que uno de los mejores aciertos de esta lectura, es esa creciente sospecha de descubrir interrogantes como "¿Realmente hubo un asesinato?" "¿Quién está cuerdo y quién no?"
Además, de ese halo de dudas que rodean el pasado de los personajes.
Poco a poco el telón se va desentrañando, aunque, si se analiza detenidamente, desde el principio hay pistas que posteriormente pueden hacer que el giro de los acontecimientos sea predecible, como me sucedió a mi.
Aún así, es interesante ver cómo desarrollaron un tema tan complejo como la esquizofrenia.
Aunque no fue mi favorita, fue una lectura bastante interesante.
October 12, 2016
Dave Sears is in jail, being interviewed by Detective Petrie. For what, we may well wonder.
Dave and Diana's father was schizophrenic -- possibly paranoid schizophrenic -- but Diana married Mark, and had a son, Jason. Dave is also married, and has a daughter. It develops that five-year-old Jason was also PS, and Mark wanted to institutionalize him. On the one day that Diana left Jason with Mark, Jason drowned in a pond; there is only very circumstantial evidence, however. Diana believes that Mark killed Jason; they divorce. She strongly influences teenage Dave's daughter, Patty.
This was such an involved psychological thriller, leading me down the path to craziness, that I had to put it down several times! Did someone kill D & D's father? Who killed Jason? Did someone kill Diana? Who wrote on Mark's car? Are Mark and Detective Petrie the only normal ones in this book? What will ultimately happen to Dave? Insanity!
Dave and Diana's father was schizophrenic -- possibly paranoid schizophrenic -- but Diana married Mark, and had a son, Jason. Dave is also married, and has a daughter. It develops that five-year-old Jason was also PS, and Mark wanted to institutionalize him. On the one day that Diana left Jason with Mark, Jason drowned in a pond; there is only very circumstantial evidence, however. Diana believes that Mark killed Jason; they divorce. She strongly influences teenage Dave's daughter, Patty.
This was such an involved psychological thriller, leading me down the path to craziness, that I had to put it down several times! Did someone kill D & D's father? Who killed Jason? Did someone kill Diana? Who wrote on Mark's car? Are Mark and Detective Petrie the only normal ones in this book? What will ultimately happen to Dave? Insanity!
July 2, 2008
After David's nephew dies under questionable circumstances, he begins to fear for his sister, Diana's sanity. Having grown up with a paranoid schizophrenic father, mental illness is never far from David's mind, and since her son's death, Diana is beginning to exhibit some of the same symptoms from which their father suffered. At first, David feels he must protect his sister, but by the end of the story, it is his family he is trying to protect from Diana.
From the first chapter, told from inside David's mind, the reader knows something terrible has happened, but it isn't until almost the very end that the awful incident is revealed.
An interesting look at a family plagued by mental illness, as well as a suspenseful mystery.
From the first chapter, told from inside David's mind, the reader knows something terrible has happened, but it isn't until almost the very end that the awful incident is revealed.
An interesting look at a family plagued by mental illness, as well as a suspenseful mystery.
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