March 28, 2011 • Category: Blog, News and Publicity
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Tomorrow marks the publication day for What You See in the Dark, the debut novel by Manuel Muñoz. Love? Intrigue? Hitchcock? What could be better?
We have three copies of What You See in the Dark to give away. To enter, just leave a comment here on or our Facebook page letting us know which Hitchcock movie you love most and why. Haven’t seen a Hitchcock movie? Go out and rent Psycho IMMEDIATELY.
For more Muñoz, catch him on his Spring 2011 Book Tour, pick up a collection of his short stories, watch the What You See in the Dark trailer below, and read the stellar pre-pub reviews at bottom of this post.
About the book:
Bakersfield, California, in the late 1950s is a dusty, quiet town too far from Los Angeles to share that city’s energy yet close enough to Hollywood to fill its citizens with the kinds of dreams they discover in the darkness of the movie theater. For Teresa, a young, aspiring singer who works at a shoe store, dreams lie in the music her mother shared with her, plaintive songs of love and longing. In Dan Watson, the most desirable young man in Bakersfield, she believes she has found someone to help her realize those dreams.
When a famous actress arrives from Hollywood with a great and already legendary director, local gossip about Teresa and Dan gives way to speculation about the celebrated visitors, there to work on what will become an iconic, groundbreaking film of madness and murder at a roadside motel. No one anticipates how the ill-fated love affair between Dan and Teresa will soon rival anything the director could ever put on the screen.
Praise for What You See in the Dark:
“A performance in literary night vision … Drawing on tremendous empathy and an exacting eye for detail, Muñoz conjures up a vanished era in which the people nevertheless feel indelibly real. Through a small cast of characters, he gives the reader an intimate look into dark places both literal and metaphorical … Muñoz’s lean, graceful prose, shot through with quiet bursts of poetry, enlivens every page.”—AARP VIVA
“[A] stellar first novel … The author brilliantly presents the Actress’s inner thoughts, while he handles the violence with a subtlety worthy of Hitchcock himself. The lyrical prose and sensitive portrayal of the crime’s ripple effect in the small community elevate this far beyond the typical noir.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Muñoz (The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue, 2007) has hit upon a killer premise: the making of Psycho (with appearances by the “actress” and the “director”) set against the real-life murder of a young Latina singer in Bakersfield … Muñoz expertly evokes the way quiet desperation can explode into life-altering violence.”—Booklist
“What You See in the Dark strikes emotional chords so deep and with such precision, it almost makes you believe you’ve discovered a new art form.”—Austin Chronicle
A “refreshingly innovative first novel … Muñoz has upended the conventional crime novel, lauding a cinematic master while downplaying his own crime scene and concentrating on a secondary victim. Nice work.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Manuel Muñoz’s vividly suspenseful first novel is a fine blend of Hitchcock’s chilly elegance with the sordid passions of James M. Cain: a dark, intimate, heartbreaking tale about four very different women, each one longing to escape the confines of her everyday life through the romantic illusions concocted by Hollywood. Their voices will haunt me for some time to come.”—Julia Glass, author of The Widower’s Tale and Three Junes
“Manuel Munoz has written a novel that is gripping to read and illuminating in what it says. What You See in the Dark begins with a sweet romance and a dark surprise, as it traces the winding path of violence in our dreamy American longings. How beautifully the pieces of this book fit together, and how radiantly original it is.” —Joan Silber, author of Household Words and Ideas of Heaven
Tags: book trailer, Hitchcock, Manuel Munoz, Psycho, Publication Day, trailer, What You See in the Dark, What You See in the Dark trailer
Hira H. says...
I am not surprised a lot of people chose the movie “The Birds”, if you’ve watched it, you know precisely why this particular title re-emerges as a favorite.
What makes Hitchcock so very special was the treatment of his movies – while others were busy doling out sound effects to add to the eeriness of the plot, Hitchcock , in his movie “The Birds”, was experimenting with extended bouts of silence, and a movie without a musical score. Hitchcock played with pacing, at times he set the pace painstakingly slow, and at other times (especially with the Birds attacking) the pace was akin to a feverish frenzy. With these varying nuances, Hitchcock builds a tension so sublime, the audience feels more dread than a 6 year old on his first roller-coaster ride. Hitchcock’s “The Birds” was cinematic genius, and an immensely engrossing movie, one which the audience can enjoy over and over again — for me, one of his utmost best.
Thank you so very much for a chance to win Munoz’s “What You See in the Dark”, can’t wait to read it!
March 29, 2011@ 7:03 AMRuthie B says...
Rear Window was the best but I still can’t look at birds the same way!
March 28, 2011@ 5:53 PMMatt says...
I want one. Munoz is a great writer.
My favorite Hitchcock movie has nothing to do with the movie itself, but everything to do with a great short story it inspired: Mark Richard’s “The Birds at Christmas,” in which the charity ward children DEMAND a viewing of The Birds.
PS…Any word on when the next installment of NEW STORIES FROM THE SOUTH is coming out? I always love this anthology.
March 28, 2011@ 5:05 PMLisa Peet says...
NOTORIOUS. You’ve got a bad girl gone good, the best screen kiss of the ’40s, and tension — romantic and otherwise — that you could cut with a knife. Cary Grant hits all the right notes in this one. I want him to carry me down the stairs and whisk me away in a car, dammit.
March 28, 2011@ 4:45 PMAmi Kim says...
Loved Rear Window – scared by the Birds. I’ve never seen Psycho! Sounds like I need to get that.
March 28, 2011@ 4:39 PMAnn Boles says...
I hate to echo everyone else, but The Birds is my favorite Hitchcock movie. This book sound like another winner from Algonquin. I’m looking forward to reading this first novel from a fellow Arizonan.
March 28, 2011@ 3:36 PMHere Be Dragons says...
Perhaps….
North by Northwest – I love Cary Grant and Mount Rushmore.
But The Birds totally freaks me out. I don’t like birds. The movie didn’t help.
March 28, 2011@ 2:57 PMSara says...
Hitchcock loved my favorite so much that he made it twice: THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. The second version had Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day, and the unforgettable scene of Doris sitting at the piano and singing “Que sera, sera” in her loudest voice. I loved it as a child and love it now, though it is disconcerting to see the old-fashioned married relationship between Doris and Jimmy. Thanks for giving us a chance to get the Munoz book….
March 28, 2011@ 2:49 PMRosejunkie (Cathy) says...
My favorite is The Birds….. this movie terrified me when I was young! I was 8 when it was released and to this day if a large flock of birds starts toward me I’m scared. I will never forget how it made me feel. I would love to read the Munoz book! Thank you.
March 28, 2011@ 2:17 PMSulu says...
I loved Shadow of a Doubt, but my very favorite is The Birds. The eerie light, shadow, and sound effects are pretty amazing. Poor Tippi out on the water in that little john boat, and the bird starts out just divebombing at her blond coif, then pecking at the lapel of her smart jacket….just the beginning of a rocky horror birdie picture show! Also thanks, Al, for the giveaway..would love to read Munoz’s novel.
March 28, 2011@ 1:46 PM