Red Dragon - Thomas Harris

PREAMBLE
To say that Red Dragon was the first of Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter books would be grossly misleading. Though the good doctor figures in the story he is not a prominent player. I'm afraid that the movies and Hollywood are responsible for more recent distortions and exaggerations of Harris' original novel. In the more recent film version of Red Dragon there was a blatant attempt to capitalize on the selling power of Anthony Hopkin's ...
...in his book. In reality Red Dragon is not the prequel or sequel to Silence of the Lambs, it is a novel that stands alone. A novel that needs to be appraised for what it is, without the erroneous and misleading screenplay effects of two movies.

Normally I would avoid direct comparisons between movie and book versions of the same story, but in this instance a line needs to be drawn between novel and screenplay. Though many plot elements ... more

PREAMBLE
To say that Red Dragon was the first of Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter books would be grossly misleading. Though the good doctor figures in the story he is not a prominent player. I'm afraid that the movies and Hollywood are responsible for more recent distortions and exaggerations of Harris' original novel. In the more recent film version of Red Dragon there was a blatant attempt to capitalize on the selling power of Anthony Hopkin's charismatic and evil movie character to the detriment of Harris' original intent in his book. In reality Red Dragon is not the prequel or sequel to Silence of the Lambs, it is a novel that stands alone. A novel that needs to be appraised for what it is, without the erroneous and misleading screenplay effects of two movies.

Normally I would avoid direct comparisons between movie and book versions of the same story, but in this instance a line needs to be drawn between novel and screenplay. Though many plot elements are similar, the novel is a far more logical and fulfilling version of how Red Dragon unfolds as a gripping and very scary narrative. The infamous Lecter still has a part to play in the book, but he is rightly in the background, allowing the Dragon centre stage in this thriller.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Harris' novel is a clever and intricate piece of work. His intimate and highly detailed descriptions of characters, their histories and personalities are a cornerstone of the story. To save time later in this review I will introduce the key players before going on. Cast, as they say, is in order of appearance.

Will Graham
Will is an ex FBI investigator and highly trained forensic detective. He has taken early retirement from the Bureau following a near death experience at the hands of Hannibal Lecter. Will has an unusual gift, he can think himself into the minds of serial killers and it was this talent that helped him to unveil Lecter. It also nearly got him killed when Lecter neatly gutted him with a razor sharp flensing knife. Will is no stranger to death; he has shot down an earlier perp Hobbs and secretly rejoiced in the killing. He now leads the quiet life of a marine diesel fitter with his partner Molly and her young son Willy in Florida. Will is a rare talent but he is also damaged goods. Following the shooting of Hobbs he spent time in a mental institution suffering from acute depression. In a perfect world Will would enjoy his idyllic life by the sea in Florida, fixing diesel engines on boats, fishing with his stepson and making love to his partner Molly. But the world is far from perfect as we all know.

Jack Crawford
Crawford is the FBI special agent who is instrumental in luring Will Graham out of retirement. Harris does not reveal a great deal about Crawford's personality, just enough to tell us that he recognises Will's unique talents in the highly specialised field of serial killers. He is astute enough to realise that Will is the obverse side of the coin, another monster himself who is able to suppress his own urges and work for justice. Though Crawford is largely underplayed here when compared to his pseudo-sexual relationship with Clarence Starling in later books, he is nevertheless a prime mover and stirrer in Red Dragon. It is Crawford who harnesses Will's affinity with the monsters of this world; Crawford who recognises the value of setting a monster to catch a monster.

Hannibal Lecter
As I said earlier, the 'good' Doctor has a part to play in the unfolding drama of the book, but only a minor one on the face of things. Red Dragon sees Lecter incarcerated in a high security mental hospital, apparently his teeth have been drawn and he is powerless behind bars. But all is not what it appears; the Doctor receives correspondence from the Red Dragon and 'Oh what a wondrous web he weaves, when he conjures to deceive!' Early on in the book, Lecter is approached by Will Graham who basically wants to pick his brains about the murderous Tooth Fairy. Lecter is typically cautious and circumspect in his dealings with Graham, he recognises gifted genius when he sees it but is reluctant share his mind with another, particularly one who seeks justice and retribution. More of Doctor Lecter later.

Freddie Lounds
Lounds is basically a low life journalist who works for a sensational National Enquirer look-alike called the National Tattler in Harris' book. His mission in life is to get a sensational story and he will go to any lengths to achieve this goal. His destiny is to come within a hair's breadth of pulling off the greatest journalistic coup of modern times, making him a very rich man indeed. His fate is firmly tied into the old adage, 'Don't play with fire, you might get burnt.' There is no doubt that Freddie the arch gutter press journalist is destined to have his moment of glory, or to put it more accurately his moment of blazing glory.

Francis Dolarhyde aka 'The Tooth Fairy', aka 'Red Dragon'
One of the things that makes Harris' novel unusual is that the perpetrator of evil is not hidden from the reader for the majority of the story. Dolarhyde is not some anonymous bogey man who is deliberately veiled in mysterious shadows, only to be revealed in the final scenes of the tale. From early on in this novel we are introduced to the beast in all his glory. We are given an intimate and detailed history of his birth and childhood. We are told of the tragic circumstances of his birth and learn that he was a 'leaf nose' baby, in other words he was born with a serious cleft palate and facial deformity that required medical intervention to allow him to feed and survive. Francis is rejected by his natural mother and spends his formative years in an orphanage, unloved and given the unfortunate sobriquet 'c*nt face' by his fellow orphans. He is eventually adopted by his grandmother for her own vindictive reasons and raised in a strict regime. One night, while still a little boy he wets his bed and granny's remedy is to hold his penis between the blades of a pair of scissors and threaten her 'dirty little grandson' with emasculation if he does not clean up his act. Francis is traumatised by this episode and his continued development is marked by the cruel deaths he begins to inflict on small animals. He has begun to kill for pleasure and it is only a matter of time before he graduates to the ultimate victims. Eventually Francis' grandmother dies and he grows into adulthood. He receives some reconstructive facial surgery and can now appear almost normal with a set of dentures, but his grandmother's stained false teeth remain in a glass to be used and worn when he feels the need. And in his becoming, in his transformation into the Red Dragon he most certainly does feel the need. You see Francis is possessed by the Red Dragon, the dragon as seen in the William Blake watercolour The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in the Sun.

Reba McClane
Reba is an attractive female co-worker at Gateway Film & Videotape Services where Dolarhyde is a manager. The fact that she is blind is a key factor in the ensuing relationship that develops between herself and Francis. He is entranced by the charm and overt sexuality of this woman, whilst being free from the usual inhibitions created by his disfigurement; she is the ideal unseeing partner. But crucially, as he falls in love with this woman, there develops a conflict between his affection for her and his homicidal tendencies. He is torn between a lasting relationship with Reba and the insistent demands of his alter ego the Red Dragon to kill, maim and bite. His love for Reba forces Dolarhyde to confront the Dragon and make a desperate attempt to sublimate the influence of his demon. The Dragon wants Reba's life to be torn from her; Francis wants a life with Reba. In a bizarre episode Dolarhyde visits the Brooklyn Museum, clubs an official unconscious and eats Blake's priceless watercolour in a vain attempt to consume and control the insatiable Dragon within him.

PLOT SUMMARY
Will Graham is persuaded to re-join the ranks of the FBI to help track down a serial killer popularly known as the 'Tooth Fairy' because he appears to enjoy biting his victims before, during and after their deaths. To date his known victims have been two quite wealthy middle class American families and because he favours the full moon, the clock is ticking before he inevitably strikes again. The Tooth Fairy is an organised serial killer of the worst kind, his type are difficult to track down because they are normally intelligent and only get caught when it is their wish. So far the Tooth Fairy shows no desire to be apprehended and it is only a matter of time before he strikes again. Graham has the ability to think himself into the mind of such criminal monsters and this rare talent will be stretched to its limits in the manhunt that ensues.

The body of the novel details a painstaking and often frustrating forensic investigation led by Will Graham. The pursuit of the Tooth Fairy will put an enormous strain on Graham and his relationship with his adopted family. The meticulous procedures followed by Graham and the empathy he has for his quarry are a real fascination of this novel. From the outset the reader knows an awful (truly awful) lot more about the Tooth Fairy, aka Francis Dolarhyde than Graham is ever going to discover in a month of Sundays. This then becomes another facet in this jewel of a novel. In almost voyeuristic fashion we can follow the movements of monster and monster catcher as their paths move toward the inevitable. And behind it all, smiling with that cunning and knowing smile, lies Hannibal Lecter.

The conclusion is surprising and satisfying. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

RED DRAGON, THE VERDICT
Quite a lot of the plot of this novel has been revealed in the foregoing description of its main characters. One of the most interesting aspects of Harris' narrative is that it can be enjoyed on two levels of sophistication. On the first level it is a gripping story of the methodical investigation and eventual (though surprising) apprehension of a highly organised serial killer. On another and perhaps higher level it is the complex interplay of two 'monsters', Graham and Dolarhyde whose uncomfortably close psychology's are exploited by a seemingly impotent Hannibal Lecter. Let there be no doubt that Lecter, despite his seemingly background role in this drama, is the puppet master who brings monster into collision with monster.

Readers of a nervous or sensitive disposition should be prepared for some shocks and nasty surprises. Even if you have seen the movies Red Dragon and Manhunter, I recommend this fine and intelligent book to you without reservation.

 

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