Helter and skelter, the doctors ran.
No, I am not presenting a review on Sanjeevani, nor one on Armaan. This was the scene at a reputed hospital, where I was getting treated for a fractured leg. When they asked me on how I landed myself up with the mess I was in, I began to digress. Now, MS members might be used to my digressing, but the poor doctors wondered what I meant when I started with how Karan Johar's next movie will have the slogan 'It's all about Karan Johar loving Shah Rukh Khan ... !''
Since they found no apparent connection with Miss Karan Johar, Shah Rukh and my fracture, they decided that perhaps the reason that I was so fair was that I had no grey matter. Just like Hrithik Roshan in Koi Mil Gaya had spoken about various kinds of 'paagalpans', the doctors ran helter and skelter, exchanging views on what was wrong with my brain ... (How can something be wrong with something that is not present?)
Megalomania, schizophrenia, paranoia, various theories were proposed, but discarded. After deliberations aplenty, the doctors forced me to consider a person who analyses psychos aka a psychoanalyst. This chap, the doctors informed me, was the protagonist of the book 'The Naked Face' by Sidney Sheldon.
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THE FACES:
Dr. Judd Stevens is a psychoanalyst charged with murder ... He had lost his wife and unborn child in an accident on X'mas day, and since then, has not believed in celebrating X'mas.
Carol Roberts is a hooker who reforms herself and takes up the role of Dr. Stevens' secretary.
Bruce Boyd is a homosexual, who is successfully treated by Dr. Stevens.
Lt. Andrew Mcgreavy is an old, senior cop, who has a past grouse with Dr. Stevens. Due to this, he seems to be intent on nailing Dr. Stevens and putting him behind by bars by hook or by crook (actually only by crook ...)
Detective Frank Angeli is a young detective, who sides with Dr. Stevens and tries to make Lt. Mcgreavy see reason ...
Harrison Burke suffers from acute paranoia and is convinced that everybody is out to kill him.
Anne Blake is the first woman Judd has truly loved since his dead wife. But, she is married ... and is going away ...
Teri Washburn is an actress, whose career came to an unexpected end some years ago. She is a monk. In other words, all that she can think of is sects, sects and sects, (sex, sex and sex!)
Norman Z. Moody is a jovial, private investigation officer who is employed by Dr. Steven's to help him
Anthony DeMarco is Anne's husband, a charming man with an overbearing personality.
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SO WHOSE IS 'THE' NAKED FACE?
Three murders take place in succession and circumstances lead Judd Stevens to believe that he will be the next target. However, Lt. Mcgreavy suspects Stevens' claims to be an act and accuses Stevens of having committed the murders. On the other hand, Detective Angeli is more supportive of Stevens and does all he can to prevent him form being arrested.
The major suspense is revealed around 40 pages before its ending (it's a 220-page book), but is quite difficult to deduce until about 10 pages before it is revealed. But, it is no fabricated suspense. All the pieces of the jigsaw fit and that speaks for Sheldon's writing skills.
In spite of the suspense being out 40-odd pages prior to the end, the end of this tale does not drag a wee bit. In fact, even the final pages are filled with some great literary and story-telling skills.
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THE NAKED FACE BEHIND EVERY FACADE:
No, my favourite part about this book is not the subtle humor used by Sheldon. It is not the amazingly scripted suspense. It is not the thrilling climax. In fact, the facet in which this book triumphs is the amazing characterizations of each and every patient of Dr. Stevens, and the brilliantly written sequences of dialogue between the psychoanalyst and each of his patients.
So, get prepared for an encounter with a paranoiac i.e. someone who believes that everybody wants to see him dead, and discover how Stevens gets so involved in his sessions with the paranoiac that it, coupled with the murders taking place, almost make him suspect himself of being a paranoiac.
Get prepared to encounter a slut who loved the experience of her father raping her when she was a teenager and boasts about her sexual escapades with zillions of men, but, in reality, we find out due to Stevens' probing that she is just a human who lacks love, and was trying to buy love through her body.
Get prepared for a stunning belle, who is happily married, yet attracts Stevens. How he keeps probing her to discover her problem, but she, in her numerous sessions with Stevens never truly discloses any major problem.
Get prepared for a bald, pudgy, stupid-looking man who has an amazingly sharp mind and loves to rattle off quotations which are worse than Sidhuisms (yes, it's possible!)
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A FINAL STRIP OF THE VISAGE:
Laced with subtle wit, 'The Naked Face' is a nice book for light reading. Something that can be easily completed in less than three hours, this one is a quick read. An intriguing suspense, with a dash of romance and some brilliant insights into different variations of the human psyche make this book a must-read for all readers above the age of 15, due to usage of profanities (throughout) and a few references to sex (in the sub-plot having Teri Washburn as the slutty actress).
But, the cherry on the cake has to be the ending, wherein Stevens manages to finish off the negative element after a long fight, yet repents that by enjoying his revenge on this villain, he degraded himself to a level which is not much higher than the villains themselves. Man remains a beast, which is a shocking realization in Stevens' conscience because it comes at a time that you expect everything to be hunky-dory and the story to end happily, yet he repents his actions with a compunction which seems strange, yet true.
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So, if you are tired of seeing naked bodies on the idiot-box in songs like 'Chadti Jawani', try exploring a naked face instead ...
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To all the psychos and non-psychos, please do leave a comment ... !
I have updated my MS profile and the new profile is too long by MS' regulations. So, I have published it on the following URL. Please check out my updated profile and mail me your feedback (or comment in this review about it).
The URL is:
https://nikamma1112.rediffblogs.com
