In the Cut – A novel by Susanna Moore (1995)

In the Cut by Susanna Moore (1995)

Yes! There are tons of books with this title (at least in French as “À Vif”!).

So… No, I’m not going to talk about Dianne Emley, or Belle Aurora, or Kerry James, or Alexis Hall, or René Manzor, or…

The list goes on!

I am going to talk to you about Susanna Moore‘s book and the novel that inspired Jane Campion’s 2003 film “In the Cut,” starring Meg Ryan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Mark Ruffalo.

I read this book twice. And yet I didn’t love it the first time around. That’s just like me! However, I liked it slightly better the second time around, and I can just about say that it’s still good. Just good! Because it’s also annoying and irritating. You can feel all the frustration of the main character, a single teacher who needs a stable sex life.

In fact, you don’t even have to read five pages before you’re treated to a blowjob scene. That sets the tone!

Except that she’s not the one doing the deed. She’s just a voyeur!

Some people were fascinated by the film, saying it was so dark… but when they tried to find out more by reading the book, in order to go even further, they were easily disappointed! And yet, it’s rare, it seems to me, to prefer a movie. But I know people who didn’t like the movie either!

A psychological and erotic thriller, a slow and laborious investigation that we follow in order to discover “who”! Yes, who killed the redhead who was in the middle of a sexual act in the first few pages. And why? We can really feel the atmosphere that the novelist describes. The characters, on the other hand, are not endearing, and it is difficult to understand their life choices, especially since the story is told in a rather disjointed manner. I would really like to know what Susanna Moore had in mind when she wrote this book. What exactly did she want to convey? What emotions did she want to evoke in her readers? What did she really want to stir up in us? All of this remains a mystery to me.

I was working in a bookstore when this book came out. I bought it. And several times, I asked myself, “What am I reading???” When I reread it more than fifteen years later, I thought that perhaps my maturity would allow me to appreciate it a little more. But Susanna Moore really seems to have wavered between writing a Z-grade porn book and a B-grade thriller. And in neither genre did she manage to be totally credible.

It just goes to show that being a Moore doesn’t mean you have undeniable and unforgettable talent! Julianne, Demi, and Roger won’t disagree with me on that. As for Mandy, she’s capable of both the worst and the best, both cinematically and musically.

A book that explores themes such as sexuality, violence, and complex relationships between characters. If you struggle with American writers, especially those from New York, avoid this book!