The Night Of The Hunter by Davis
Grubb
Wonderfully Surprised
Inspired by serial killer Harry Powers, The Bluebeard of Quiet Dell, who
was hung in 1932 for his murders of two widows and three children. This
best-selling novel, first published in 1953 to wide acclaim by author Grubb,
(who like Powers lived in Clarksburg, West Virginia), served as the basis
for Charles Laughtons noir classic. Renamed Harry Powell, the lead
character in this book, with LOVE and HATE tattooed on his fingers, is
remembered as one of the creepiest men in book and cinema history.
Personal Review: The Night Of The Hunter by Davis Grubb
The only reason I read this book was because one of my English
professors put it on the course material for a class on American Literature.
He only knew about it because he had seen an old (unpopular) movie
version from the '50s as a child, then later learned that the movie was
based on the book.

I am a pretty avid reader who tends to prefer more epic literature from
ancient times, or fantastic novels like Tolkien, Lewis, MacDonald, etc. But I
was bowled over with this book. It is engaging, suspenseful, and rooted in
a deep symbolism that ranks with the best of Melville, Irving, or even Mark
Twain.
The story revolves around a young boy named John Harper who living the
Depression-era South. John's father, Ben Harper, robs and (accidentally)
shoots and kills a bank clerk. Ben Harper runs home before the police find
him, hides the money, tells his young son (John) and even younger
daughter (Pearl) where it is, and makes them swear never to tell anyone;
not even their mother, whom Ben believes would squader it.
Ben Harper is taken to prison, where he meets his cellmate, a charismatic,
serial-killing, Moralist preacher named Harry Powell, who believes that he
is exactiny God's revenge on various sinners; especially prostitutes. But he
has never been caught or convicted. Powell is only coincidentally in prison
with Harper for allegedly stealing a car.
After incessant pleading, Powell gets Harper to reveal in his sleep that his
son John knows where the money is. Once Powell is let out of prison, he is
off to Harper's hometown to find a way to get the blood-money. The novel
centers around Powell's invasion into young John's world. Powell (whom
everyone merely calls "Preacher") starts a small church in John's town and
becomes a trusted, respectable member of the community. All the while,
John, who immediately picks up on Powell's intentions (and vice versa),
must resist Powell's efforts to make him reveal the whereabouts of the
money.
To say any more than that would be revealing too much of the plot. But
Harry Powell (affectionatly called "Preacher" by everyone who knows him)
attempts to slowly wear away at John's will by various tactics. The
relationship between Harry Powell and young John Harper is truly
frightening, as John has no one whom he can talk to because he believes
it would be a sin to break the oath to his father if he told anyone about the
money. He must silently fight off Powell in any way he can.
Why this novel is not recognized as a classic is beyond me. This is,
beyond a doubt, one of the best American novles that I have ever come
across. I hope that someday it will see a rennaissance. Definitely worth
reading!
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