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THE NARCISSIST'S DAUGHTER
by Craig Holden
Simon and Schuster, February 2005
240 pages
$23.00
ISBN: 0743212975


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Syd Redding is a 23-year-old pre-med student whose ambition in life is to 'be somebody.' Accepted as an assistant in the hospital lab run by the brilliant pathologist Ted Kessler, it looks like Syd may be on the road to meeting his goal. But then he becomes involved in a torrid affair with Kessler's wife, Joyce, which threatens to jeopardize everything.

When Syd discovers he's being used by the Kesslers, he becomes obsessed with avenging himself. And the best avenue he can find to hurt Ted and Joyce Kessler is to become involved with their 17-year-old daughter Jessi. He embarks on a cruel quest to have Jessi fall in love with him while leading her parents to believe that she is engaging in sexual acts with him that have not actually occurred.

What a twisted, devious mind Syd Redding has! It's really quite awful to read about the lengths to which he will go to achieve vengeance. Jessi is really a loving and sweet girl who is in over her head in the relationship with Syd. Despite the fact that her daughter is enamored of Syd, Joyce Kessler continues to try to use her sexual wiles to lure him to her bed. After all the psychological tricks that have been used by Syd, Joyce and Ted, it's quite surprising to see how the Syd and Jessi relationship resolves itself.

In direct contrast to his interactions with the spoiled and narcisstic Kesslers, Syd interacts in a completely different way with his own family. His stepfather Brigman Reed is an alcoholic; he's done what he can to raise Syd and his sister, Chloe, and not always succeeded. There's a camaraderie between Syd and Brigman that has a warmth lacking in the Kessler family. Chloe had a huge purplish birthmark on her face which put people off. Syd wanted her to have something decent and normal, a real job, a healthy family. How she achieves that has something to do with Syd but also a lot to do with herself.

THE NARCISSIST'S DAUGHTER is a psychological thriller, with perverse characters using weapons of sex and deception. There is a murder committed, but that felt almost minor in the scheme of things. It isn't until the last pages that the true crime is unveiled.

Holden does a masterful job of depicting a terrible game between flawed characters. There were a few places where the narrative sagged, but the beautiful writing more than compensated for those lacks. The entire conclusion of the book is wonderfully done. THE NARCISSIST'S DAUGHTER is the ultimate tale of deceit and revenge.

Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, May 2005

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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