And, in the cold and wintery dark, isn’t that idea the real horror? To be alone is to die, but to be around others is to get hurt. And, there’s really no good people, per se, as much as everyone being flawed in such a way that it’s all ultimately ambiguous.

But, it’s not really out of malice, even the bullies are really not so much vicious as much as indifferently cruel because they are living. Everyone is doing what they can to survive as wounded individuals, and sometimes that means hurting other people. I’d say hostile, but that’s not really it. Everyone is struggling to find love in spite of their dysfunctions in a world which indifferently exists around them. Well, maybe the word “wonderful” isn’t right, is it? It’s a bleak affair, after all. It had to be something, because it was a wonderful story to read. I felt that had to be because I’d seen the movie and so I wasn’t discovering the story for the first time. But, the whole time I kept thinking to myself, “I wish I’d read the book first.” The pacing seemed really slow to me as I was reading it. Then, I’m not sure why, but I picked it up. In fact, I almost gave it away as a present since it seemed a shame to waste a brand new book like that if I wasn’t going to read it.

I was so amazed by the originality and atmosphere and everything of the movie that when someone mentioned, “The book is better,” I knew I had to read that too.

I think the movie just kind of showed up one day and moved into my Netflix queue. When I saw the movie, I didn’t know there was a book.

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