A Tale of Suspense Worthy of the Master -- The Hitchcock Hotel (book review)
Imagine, just for a second, what your life would be like, without your friends?
They’re such a huge part of those “formative years”... but not so much, I think, a throughway.
For instance, there are friends you have when you’re a little kid—the ones you play with at recess, or hang out with after school. Everything is easy and fun, and any arguments tend to be trivial (and sorted quickly).
Then the tweens and teens happen, and suddenly you’re a mass of raging hormones, explosive bursts of anger, and buckets of drama-llama angst. Those earlier friends, from simpler times, may—or may not—still be in the mix, because the stakes have gotten much higher, with massive secrets and heartfelt desires to be shared... and kept close. You have your besties... but if just one confidence is broken, any bestie can be relegated to no-man’s land, in a millisecond.
High school is the last stop on the whole friend-making journey for a lot of people. Sure, other very casualfriendships can develop, as adults—work mates, pals of partners, maybe neighbors—but rarely are those extreme peaks of closeness ever replicated again.
Except.
If you go on to university—prolonging the start of “real life”—then the practice of building intense friendships actually continues... growing into some of the deepest relationships, because they blossom when you’re finally getting the chance (or are being forced, YMMV) to figure out who you really are, or want to be.
Stephanie Wrobel delivers a deliciously-complex deep dive into those college friendships—and what happens to them, down the road—in her impossible-to-put-down new novel of suspense, The Hitchcock Hotel.
[Okay, maybe I shouldn’t ask that, as—I shudder to even contemplate it—a whole slew of Millennials or Gen Zers may barely recognize the prolific Hollywood thriller director’s name, but art is ART! (Sigh) Rant over...]
Anyway, that’s the question a small group of 38-year-olds find themselves asking, when their former college pal, Alfred Smettle, invites them—out of the blue—to an all-expenses-paid, intimate weekend at his pride and joy, The Hitchcock Hotel... located in the same small town they all experienced college life in, all those years ago.
He promises three days of relaxing, entertainment, and catching up—with himself, an elderly housekeeper, and a couple of other essential staff waiting on them—and no other cares in the world.
For reasons that take a good long while to come out, each member of Alfred’s little circle of friends—well, former friends, at least—finally, reluctantly, agrees to come.
Grace, the whip-smart, driven one, with her super-successful life. Zoe, the other-side-of-the-tracks wild child, whose life is still something of a mess. T.J., the likeable guy who went along with pretty much anything, and finally found his place. Julius, the flashy lad with the silver-spoon (held firmly in cheek), who hasn’t really changed. And Samira, the (mostly) good girl—and mother hen—who always tried to keep the peace, and now tries to make others’ lives more pleasurable.
But what none of them know is why, after not seeing or hearing from Alfred for the past 16 years, he wants to do anything with them... because their last encounters? Didn’t remotely scream “MUST CATCH UP ASAP!”.
Nonetheless, they eventually show up en masse to his admittedly-impressive creation. The hotel is everything a casual Hitchcock fan might want—24/7 showings of the master’s films in a cozy in-hotel cinema room, classic memorabilia and tchotchkes around every corner—and in other ways, provides delights that only the diehards would fully appreciate—like the attached aviary with 50 crows living inside.
It is, they concur, very “Alfred” (as in, both Alfreds).
It’s also, they agree—once safely out of Alfred’s hearing—a whole lot of OTT-creepy.
Even at that, though, they can only guess at what their host has planned. Merely showing off his finally-achieved success? Proving to them that the long hours he spent after college, working his way up from the lowest employee to manager at a La Quinta hotel, have finally paid off? Getting back at them for jabs and slights he took more seriously than anyone really intended?
Or... something else?
Because as much as any of them thought they knew or understood Alfred at 18... 20... 22? They have NO IDEA what this adult version of their one-time close friend is capable of concocting... or why.
One thing is certain, though: they’re about to find out... and experience a weekend not a single one of them ever saw coming.
Also? Not everyone will make it out alive.
The Hitchcock Hotel is, quite simply, one of the best things I’ve read in a while. It’s full of characters that I neither loved nor loathed... instead, they felt very, very real, like people I’ve known my whole life (and could identify with). Author Wrobel describes her characters to a tee, allowing them the freedom to be as accomplished and charming—and as flawed and terrible—as they want.
This book is also atmospheric as all get out... just as you’d hope/expect, given the setting (and famous muse). In the beginning, I longed to visit this cool hotel... but later, saw myself wanting only to veer far wide of its increasingly-ominous presence.
After a bit of a slowish start, it picked up speed, gaining intensity like a fledgling flame that finds a stash of gasoline-soaked dry timber. (Honestly, only a desperate need for sleep kept me from finishing it when I wanted to.)
As for the “who-(what, how, why)dunit”, well... Wrobel left me completely satisfied, giving me enough info to believe the resolution... but also enough room to let me mind fill in any remaining little dark corners.
The Hitchcock Hotel is easily my top pick for Best New Thriller/Suspense of the Fall, and one I’ll recommend regardless of how familiar you are with Hitchcock’s best works. (Although if you aren’t, I’ll also add... get watching! ;))
Happy Chilling Reading!
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