Ira Levin - A Kiss before Dying - Review

This is Levin’s first novel, published at the age of only 23, comparably a child when held up to the emotional maturity of most males of the same age today. Otto Penzler, the writer of the novel’s introduction, calls the work genius, naming such luminaries as Shelly and Mozart who too, revealed uncanny ability at such a young age. Unlike Shelly and Mozart, these men and women did not live much past the age of 30, whereas Levin lived on to write more novels, screenplays and write for publications and later television.

Those that have studied the genre of the *thriller* or the so-called “detective” story understand that some, if not all, follow a particular structure, an artifice of revealing only so much information at a time, enticing the reader to then reveal all, and twisting the narrative, and in some cases twisting the plot again at the tales ends. For many, including myself, this is the genre’s attraction and general world-wide popularity.

The antagonist mentioned in the first paragraph of the novel is clever, tall, speaks well and attracts the opposite sex like a rock star. We learn about his youth at elementary school. Because his mother adores her little boy, over dresses him, and therefore he becomes a target of the school bully. The calculated method in which he handles his play ground persecution is the reader’s first real clue as to what type of person the main character truly is – yes, smart, though with a streak of cruelty.

After a stint in the Army during WW2, our antagonist is stationed in the pacific fighting the Japanese. Separated from his Unit, he is confronted by a single enemy solider, both as frightened as the other. He makes his first kill, described in emotional and graphic detail. Here is another clue into his personality.

As a reader of the thriller for many years, perhaps like most, attempt to guess the twist in the story. To be fair, at least 70% of the time my guess is correct; not so with this novel. The reader will never see it coming, forcing you to scan the previous pages for the clue. Once you find it, honestly, like me, you’ll feel duped – in a good way.

Moreover, add this to the fact that it was the author's first novel, written at the age of 23, only makes it that much more special. 

Ira Levin had an uncanny insight into the latent psychopath.

A wonderful novel.