Calling Mr Lonely Hearts A Novel
Monday, September 14th, 2009Calling Mr Lonely Hearts A Novel
Three childhood friends. A malicious lie. One hell of a consequence.
Growing up, Roxanne, Del, and Alice tested the limits of their friendship with cruel, and often dangerous, games–but they always knew they would be bound together forever. Now, Alice’s marriage is over, and her husband is having a child with another woman. Roxanne, an artist consumed by her work, is losing touch with her friends–and perhaps with reality. And Del is desperate to be a perfect wife and adoring stepmother, but her friends see that her careful façade is crumbling.
The instrument of their destruction is a single enigmatic man–Varick. He seems to be a lonely woman’s dream come true, but where has he come from? And what does he want? As he seduces the women in turn, their lives become unrecognizable to them. Varick’s secret lies buried in their shared past. One simple, childish act has brought them, all these years later, to a place where not only their lives but also their souls are at risk. For once upon a time, the three of them agreed to tell a lie–one that ruined the life of a young priest. Defrocked, destitute, and ruined, he hoped with the whole of his shattered heart that he would get revenge. And in that hope he shook hands with the one who promised it. The devil himself. Now they all must live with the consequences.
Dark and provocative, Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts will keep readers in its terrifying grip long after the final, chilling page is turned.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A reminder that evil rarely needs to rudely intrude into our lives
Laura Benedict writes in the manner in which Bryan Ferry sings: there is a light, almost airy touch on the surface of her narrative, one that almost masks the sensuality, decadence and subtle terror of what lies beneath. When you begin reading CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS, Benedict’s latest work, I suggest Ferry’s “Slave to Love” on repeat as your background music. Not that the novel needs any accompaniment: it’s pitch-perfect on its own, an addictive and haunting wonder.
One might think from the title that Benedict has written a chick-lit novel. While it shares some of the elements of that genre — following bffs from adolescence into adulthood, documenting joy and heartbreak — it does so only superficially. Instead, this book will scare you, keep you up all night, and set every nerve in your body on edge and on fire. It is as if Benedict set out to complete the job left undone by Stephen King, John Updike, and yes, maybe even Dante Alighieri. There are elements of all three here, yet Benedict’s tale remains as unique and original as anything you have read recently.
CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS begins with three friends on the cusp of adolescence: Roxanne is advanced beyond her years, aware of the power of her awakening sexuality; Alice is a needy satellite caught in her orbit; and Del provides an uneasy counterbalance and buffer of relative normality between the two. The girls participate in a ceremony intended to bring to each of them a true and perfect love. Their individual destinies are decided not by this innocent, almost childish ritual (though it has an influence) but rather by an act of seduction involving Father Romero, a young Catholic priest who teaches at a Catholic girls’ school and who hides a prior sin under a strong faith but whose passions become put to ill use. Romero’s unwilling but ultimately headlong rush into sin leads to a further betrayal and the end of his vocation, a state of affairs for which he is not blameless but rather a victim as much of his own weakness as he is of the girls’ guile.
Disgraced, Romero leaves behind the school, the priesthood — and a situation that he will not learn of for decades. Meanwhile, Del, Roxanne and Alice remain in contact as they attain adulthood, though they lead very different lives. Del is married to a widower with a child and is overwhelmed, if happily so, with the responsibilities. Roxanne is a successful artiste and, while eschewing permanent relationships, has never met a husband she couldn’t seduce. Alice is on the cusp of a failed marriage to a successful dentist who is about to leave her for a woman who is pregnant with his child.
Romero, teaching at a faraway community college, meets Varick, an enigmatic creature who is willing to give Romero the revenge he craves against the friends, in return for the ultimate price: his life. Romero, seduced in the present as he was in the past, readily agrees. Varick gradually insinuates himself into the lives of each of the women in very different ways but with increasingly horrific results. It is fascinating to watch Varick work his purposes with the women — a process that begins quite early in the book — particularly with Alice, who is all too willing to do Varick’s diabolical bidding, even if it means destroying the lives of innocents.
CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS is a reminder that evil rarely needs to rudely intrude into our lives; in most instances, it is invited to enter, even welcomed and embraced, though not always recognized for what it is. Benedict’s chilling narrative is by turns subtle, chilling and hauntingly erotic, as it describes events both horrific and surprisingly redemptive. Most importantly, however, from beginning to end it is as irresistible and unforgettable as a gentle, unexpected kiss from a lovely, attractive stranger first spied across a crowded room — one that will take root in your memory and never leave.
— Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
4 Stars Creepy and Disturbing
Laura Benedict is a new to me author. Her new book titled: Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts sounded intriguing, so I decided to get it from the library. From the title alone, I had no idea this book would be as creepy as it was………….YIKES!
About the book
After summoning a lover through a ritual part witchcraft, three 13-year-old Lolitas–Roxanne, Del and Alice–believe that their new teacher at Cincinnati’s Our Lady of the Hills school, is the angel sent to deflower them. Roxanne successfully schemes to seduce Cuban-born Father Romero, who suffers terrible guilt as a result. When Alice and Del each falsely accuse Romero of acting inappropriately toward them, Romero is defrocked and loses his job. Seventeen years later, Romero returns to town with Varick, a demon disguised as a man, to punish the now adult schoolgirls. The three find themselves at the mercy of the devil and no one around them is safe.
Varick, the devil disguised as an attractive man, was introduced fairly early in the book to work on the women. It is through his character that the narrative became somewhat erotic, but mostly chilling and disturbing. I would have passed on this book had I read some reviews on it beforehand, however, I can see how this book would appeal to people who enjoy books about with an element of horror.
Reader Beware!
1 Star not a sympathetic character in this book
I don’t generally review books, but, this book is screaming for some balance compared to what the other reviewers have to say. What can you say about a book that has a priest who has killed someone and slept with a 13 year old is cast as “the victim”? The 3 best friends don’t even particularly like each other and, are often intentionally mean to one of the group. The supernatural/witchcraft plot line isn’t strong enough or developed enough to carry the interest in what happens to these people…. When the most sympathetic characters are the cheating husband of one of the friends and his pregnant girlfriend who is there to hope that the devil doesn’t actually punish?
5 Stars Highly Original and Satisfying
Highly original, and just as much unexpected, /Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts/ gently teases you into reading along, while you are unknowingly being led into the setup for quite the ride. Three childhood girlfriends are all drifting apart in their now middle-aged lives and going through the same old routine – divorce, loneliness, the works. All of their problems, it seems, are being caused, at least in part, by the suave and secretive Varick, and it looks like he knows exactly what to do to achieve his goal. Varick has been sent on a mission of vengeance by a bitter priest, who all three women wronged quite a long time ago.
With creative plot lines and quite innovative drama, /Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts/ is an excellent piece of work. Benedict has come up with something new in genre in which too many books read exactly the same, save for names of characters, and she has done so with chilling aptitude.
4 Stars be careful what you wish for
3 girls invoke an old ritual, which the dominant one inflicts on the weakest one – to get a perfect lover. Years pass, and careers diverge, but soon a mysterious man starts to dominate each of their lives. It gets quite scary. The characters are depicted well, the story is told well, and the ending is quite appropriate. An enjoyable and chilly book.