Friday, July 22, 2011

When Michael calls

When Michael Calls by John Farris reads like a 70s made for TV movie.  Oh, wait, that's exactly what it is.  The premise of the novel centers around a woman who starts getting phone calls from her nephew (who's been dead for 15 years).  Then people start dying.  A "twist" near the end of the novel (I saw it coming somewhere around page 15) turns the story from a paranormal thriller to a psychological study. 

The biggest issue I had with this novel is that it felt dated.  Yes, we're in the 70s.  That's okay.  Just give me something that is going to transcend time.  Do not give me a woman thanking a man for choosing her.  I think I just threw up a little. 

Oddly, Farris is also a screenwriter.  This explains the story reading more like a screenplay than a novel.  What is interesting is that when the story was made into a TV movie, Farris did not write the actual screenplay.  Someone else (James Bridges) did. 

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