Title: Experimental Film

Author: Gemma Files

Release date: December 3rd, 2015

It’s very rare for me to every return to a DNF, but something about this book lingered since I tucked it away almost five years ago. It was an odd thing. Often, after I’ve decided a book isn’t for me, it simply goes away and doesn’t take up any storage in my brain. But not this one. And after having recently read ‘A Book of Tongues’ the first in Gemma’s Hexslinger series, I knew it was time to return to this one.

Now, it could be a case of personal life stuff, time, distance from the DNF, I’m not sure, but this time the book connected with me immediately and I was hooked.

Is this a book I liked? Absolutely. Is this a book I’d recommend? Absolutely. Is this a book for everyone? No, I don’t think so. But that’s ok. Because for those who connect with this book… wow, this is an experience that is immersive.

What I liked: The book follows Lois, former film critic/reviewer who is trying to deal with her son’s autism diagnosis at the same time as being fired from her job. Searching for something to keep her going through the exhaustion and emotional drain, she attends an experimental film viewing, and while there notices something about a particular piece of film that could unlock a lost portion of Canadian Film History.

It’s here where the seeds are planted for the ‘oddness’ to slowly seep in. If you’re looking for a book filled with action and in your face spooks and scares, go elsewhere my friends. This is not the book you’re looking for.

No, what this book is, really, is a love story. I know that sounds odd, but throughout, this story focuses on the marriage between Simon and Lois, their love and trust and support of each other – no matter the circumstance – and their partnership and parenting of their son. Those moments, when Clark is there, are the pure highlights of the book, but in a way, also the most mundane. Some readers really won’t care for them. But those were the moments that shone through the most for me. Times when Clark would start singing and his parents would join in. Later on, when Lois is in hospital and Clark has just left the hospital, Clark comes to visit her and the they break into an animated interaction which had me grinning. It’s those moments that ground the story, shape it into a real-world narrative, that feels very meta and fourth-wall breaking. In fact, large parts of this book, I kept thinking of the main character as ‘Gemma’ and not ‘Lois,’ even after someone would refer to her as ‘Lois.’ It felt very personal, very non-fiction, and I think, in this case at least, it is what helped me connect more with the story and elevated the ‘ghost/haunting’ aspects even more.

Throughout, after Lois links the film she saw with this particular part of film history, we get little glimpses of the ‘oddness.’ It’s not until she – and her co-author on this project – go to the Vinegar House to get more insight into this film and the woman that made it, that things really get strange. It was a solid narrative shift at that point where you can subtly feel Gemma ramp things up and they keep ramping up until the very end. We have a solid foil, of a former colleague of Lois’ who wants in on this project, after they themselves get fired, and we get a great supernatural BINGO moment that really ripped the Band-Aid off.

When all was said and done, this morphed from a slow-burn ghost tale to a taught, frightening, unnerving paranormal explosion.

What I didn’t like: This is a dense read. It’s very heavy, and at times, hard to digest with the teeny-tiny chess pieces that Gemma moves. It happens so transparently, but so deftly, that you can easily miss small moments that work towards a significant scene later on down the road. It’s akin to a throw away line of dialogue in GRRM’s series in book one that has repercussions for a character in book three. So, go in with an open mind and for those who like to annotate when they read, get ready to have thousands.

Why should buy this: As I said before, this book is definitely not for everybody, but I think everybody who reads this – and finishes it – will be greatly rewarded. At its core is a solid, moving family whose relationship is paramount to pushing the narrative forward. It’s sweet, heartwarming and not what we traditionally see in fiction, especially dark fiction.

This novel simmers, it glows and then sparks with a kinetic energy that’s almost palpable. And I’m so glad I returned to this one and saw it through. Because it was fantastic.