How often are you, crime writing friends, asked why you write about such a dark subject? Moreover, as a reader, do you wonder why you like to read about crime?
Is the reason I am fascinated with crime and horror a
reflection of my fears and concerns? Or is it a reflection of something dark living
inside of me?
When I was a kid and my mom and I would visit the library, I would sit in the adult section, while she combed the stacks, and pour over THE MAMMOTH BOOK of MURDER. Eyes big and the hair standing up on the back of my neck.
The first short stories I wrote, years ago, and submitted for
publishing were vicious and horrific. So disturbing, I was often turned down for inappropriate
content. As I matured, I realized that a tale must be more than just intense
snapshots of savagery and brutality took a back seat to story.
After becoming a mother and stepping up as caretaker in my
family, the idea of the victim became one I couldn’t let go. I was plagued by
thoughts of the helpless falling victim to horrible fates. It seems apparent
why my thoughts would hover over these ideas. I was overwhelmed by the vulnerability
of those I love and mowed down by such intense and enormous emotions.
Experiencing all these emotions and even knowing the reasons, I still find myself obsessed with the dark.
Why?
There's this book...
by Rachel Monroe
Savage Appetites:
Four True Stories of Women, Crime, and
Obsession
Journalist Rachel Monroe, recent finalist for a Livingston
Award for Young Journalists, named as one of 56 women journalists everyone
should read by New York Magazine, and admitted fan of true crime fiction, brings
us SAVAGE APPETITES.
This is Monroe’s first book and is part personal account and
part social research. It explores the
darkest part of the human mind and attempts to understand the fixation our society
has with violence and brutality.
In SAVAGE APPETITES we meet four women, each a perfect example,
each obsessed with true crime. First, Frances Glessner Lee, who created the
Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, composite crime scene models recreated
on a one-inch-to-one-foot scale. These were dioramas used as police training
tools to help crime scene investigators learn detailed forensics-based
detection. Her fascination with murder gave the crime fighting community a new
tool for justice.
There is Alisa Statman, a writer and director who inserted
herself into the myth of the Manson murders, living in the very house where
Sharon Tate and others were killed and eventually writing a book. All of this without proper authorization or research.
Lori Davis, a
landscape architect, who fell in love with—and set out to prove the innocence
of—one of the West Memphis Three. Her story being one of perseverance.
Finally, there is Lindsay Souvannarath, a young
woman obsessed with the Columbine killers. Enthralled and inspired by the
massacre, Lindsay began to make and move on her own plans of mass murder.
Rachel Monroe delves into possible reasons why women are
drawn to tales of brutality. Do we read violence to prepare for violence? Women
are constantly reminded, by deeds or by stories, of their fragility in this
world. Is it possible that we read James Patterson, Thomas Harris or TRUE CRIME
magazine so we are prepared for what we think will eventually happen to us?
Or, do we read violence because we like it, because we see a
reflection of our own desires in the acts we are reading? Is it a release or a
danger sign?
In searching for an answer Monroe presents each woman’s
narrative alongside her own, making this a personal read and pulling together all of the stories so that they
relate. SAVAGE APPETITES is a well-written, well-researched book that does not
offer up easy answers. By the end, Monroe seems to infer that there are too
many reasons to count. Every individual has their own, complicated reasoning.
2 comments:
Alright. Just ordered this one. Thank you.
Cheers Mike. By the way, you know that pathetic clown whos been visiting this site recently talking endlessly about the 17 year-old Pauline Hickey from 1985 and how much he desperately wants to tit-fuck her, well hes obviously a wanker but i must admit i did like the way he combined his lust for Pauline with famous lines and characters from old movies, that actually made me laugh quite a lot. Thanks you broken-minded toss-pot whoever you may be.
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