
His new novel is Falls to Pieces.
Recently I asked the author about what he was reading. Corleone's reply:
Visit Douglas Corleone's website.Over the past few months, I’ve been digging back into the horror classics. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is one of my favorite books of all time. The themes of duality and the repression of desires have always fascinated me. I’ve also read a couple modern takes on the story.
Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin tells the tale from the point of view of a housemaid, who thinks the world of her master Henry Jekyll but fears his new assistant, Edward Hyde. Both men have taken more than a passing interest in her. The 1990 novel was made into the 1996 movie with Julia Roberts and John Malkovich. The film received a less than stellar reception, but I love it.
Another retelling I recently read is 2014’s Hyde by Daniel Levine. Levine’s writing is exquisite and telling the tale from Edward Hyde’s perspective was a bold and brilliant choice. Both Hyde and Mary Reilly are literary novels that bring something entirely new to the classic story.
I’ve also recently reread Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Next up is Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi. Originally published in Arabic in 2013, it was a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize. While not a retelling of Frankenstein, it’s said to capture the surreal reality of post-war Iraq, using a combination of white-knuckle horror and black humor.
The Page 69 Test: Good as Gone.
My Book, The Movie: Payoff.
The Page 69 Test: Gone Cold.
My Book, The Movie: Gone Cold.
Writers Read: Douglas Corleone (August 2015).
The Page 69 Test: Falls to Pieces.
--Marshal Zeringue