"She is Clarice Starling, young, vulnerable FBI trainee. He is Hannibal Lecter, brilliant, evil genius. There is a mesmerizing struggle between good and evil--designed to stop a killer, and guaranteed to chill your blood."
After finishing The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, I don't understand the 4.20/5 rating it has on Goodreads - I think it should have 5/5. Not only was it well-written, but as I was reading I realized how close the movie actually is to the book. That made me excited to know that they kept it as close to the source material as possible because they knew how good it was.
Harris has a direct, but descriptive writing style that allowed him to grab my attention from the first few pages. He is able to tell a well-crafted story, but keep the prose simple enough that anyone could pick this up and enjoy it - even if reading isn't really their thing.
From the cozy dormitories at the FBI Academy to the bellows of Buffalo Bill's basement, Harris easily places his reader as a careful observer to the action of the novel. But don't let that lull you into a false sense of security. While it might not be scary in the same way as a movie, Harris's writing will leave you covered in chills and wondering if that creak you heard was the house just shifting or someone coming to get you.
And it stems, unsurprisingly, from Hannibal Lecter. While Harris did not write many scenes with the Doctor, each one stands out and leaves the reader on edge. From his descriptions to the way that Lecter's dialogue cuts through the others in the scene, it is no surprise that he is one of the most prolific villains in literature.
As always when reading the book that is based on a movie, you have to be prepared for the differences. Unfortunately that usually also means coming to grips with the fact that after reading the book, the film will always be a little bit disappointing. That was also my experience with Silence of the Lambs, at least to some extent.
Once I finished the book, the first thing I did was watch the movie on Netflix. And yes, like I mentioned before, they did a really good job at staying close to the book. However, there were some corners that they definitely cut in the film, some relationships that didn't get developed quite as well.
Ultimately it was not enough to make me no longer like the movie as much, but I would highly suggest that you read it if you haven't and you love the film. You will really understand how perfect Sir Anthony Hopkins was as a casting choice for Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
