- A
- circle
- of
- children
- shake
- agony
- from
- the
- bones
- of
- a
- bird.
- A
- soul-bending
- African
- ritual
- obliterates
- the
- mind
- of
- a
- U.N.
- Peacekeeper.
- High
- art
- meets
- low
- morals
- in
- this
- macabre
- tale
- of
- deceit,
- manipulation,
- and
- human
- indignity.
When
- his
- father
- dies,
- David
- Prior
- is
- stripped
- of
- the
- bedrock
- upon
- which
- his
- moral
- foundation
- is
- built,
- and
- he
- is
- left
- exposed
- to
- influences
- both
- benign
- and
- evil.
- On
- his
- right
- shoulder,
- the
- angel
- of
- family;
- David's
- mother
- and
- sister
- provide
- what
- strength
- they
- can,
- and
- the
- possibility
- of
- retaining
- his
- sanity.
- On
- his
- left,
- a
- devil
- resurrected
- from
- childhood;
- Victor
- Tournhomme
- is
- playing
- a
- far
- more
- serious
- game
- than
- David
- could
- ever
- have
- imagined.
David
- retreats
- to
- the
- family
- farm
- seeking
- solitude,
- and
- it
- is
- here,
- among
- the
- out
- buildings
- and
- snowed-in
- woods,
- that
- the
- specters
- of
- the
- past
- begin
- to
- crowd
- his
- mind.
- As
- David
- grapples
- with
- the
- brooding
- aftermath
- of
- childhood
- atrocities,
- Victor
- Tournhomme
- sets
- the
- wheels
- of
- his
- psychosis
- in
- motion.
Victor,
- like
- David,
- earns
- his
- living
- as
- a
- photographer,
- but
- when
- work
- ends
- for
- the
- day,
- Victor
- truly
- comes
- out
- to
- play.
- Capitalizing
- on
- David's
- vulnerability,
- Victor
- forwards
- a
- proposition
- which
- pits
- all
- of
- David's
- angels
- and
- devils
- against
- one
- another
- in
- a
- titanic
- ethical
- struggle,
- the
- outcome
- of
- which
- will
- reveal
- the
- depth
- of
- both
- men's
- resolve.
The
- madness
- accelerates
- as
- a
- mentally
- ill
- rapist,
- Victor's
- violently
- unstable
- brother,
- and
- the
- unfortunate
- figure
- known
- in
- adolescence
- simply
- as
- Tomb,
- in
- turn
- play
- their
- roles.
- When
- every
- piece
- is
- in
- place,
- and
- all
- of
- the
- players
- deemed
- ready,
- Victor
- plays
- his
- hand.
Believing
- himself
- prepared
- for
- the
- events
- to
- follow,
- David
- agrees
- to
- meet
- with
- Victor
- at
- the
- farm,
- but
- could
- never
- have
- anticipated
- Victor's
- true
- intentions.
- Face
- to
- face
- with
- death
- itself,
- only
- an
- eleventh
- hour
- turn
- of
- events
- can
- spare
- David
- the
- hell
- that
- has
- been
- meticulously
- crafted
- for
- him alone.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
