Sunday, 19 May 2013

Thomas Harris, (1988),The Silence of the Lambs, St. Martin’s Press
By Lorena Davis Mosquera, 2 ESO B

A serial killer called Buffalo Bill is killing females and skinning them. Jack Crawford, head of the FBI division sends FBI trainee Clarice Starling to question Hannibal Lecter, cannibal and former psychiatrist, attempting to gather information on Buffalo Bill. Clarice and Hannibal form a “quid pro quo” relationship where he gives her useful information on her case in exchange for her personal information. This leads her to getting closer to Buffalo Bill, who has kidnapped a senator’s daughter. Hannibal, during this time, has killed two security guards and escapes the cell wearing one of the dead men’s skin to cover his identity. Clarice found out that Buffalo Bill skinned the women he killed in order to ... ... ...

I really enjoyed this book and it is one of my favourites by far. It was interesting throughout the whole story and fast pace so it was easy and pleasant for me to read. Although the story tells of a crime, it isn’t too gruesome and doesn’t go into unnecessary details. The story is well written and I really liked it, which was unexpected because I don’t like horror books. The main reason I liked this book so much was because it ‘awoke’ my emotions. I felt fear when I read about the incident with Buffalo Bill, I laughed at some of Hannibal Lecter’s witty remarks and I cried when I read the story of the lamb. I just thought it was an outstanding book.
To conclude, although I did really like this book, I have to recommend it to people who are fifteen or older because it had some intense swearing and violence was involved. I definitely recommend this book; it has a great plot, fantastic characters with intriguing personalities and entertaining dialogue. It is a remarkable read for anyone who likes crime stories or fancies a bit of mystery.