--- product_id: 4057268 title: "Night Film: A Novel" price: "€ 38.21" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/4057268-night-film-a-novel store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # Night Film: A Novel **Price:** € 38.21 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Night Film: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** € 38.21 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/4057268-night-film-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A hair-raising mystery that’s equal parts family drama, horror movie, and jigsaw puzzle. . . . It’s impossible to look away.”— People (four stars) “Maniacally clever . . . like an M.C. Escher nightmare about Edgar Allan Poe . . . You’ll miss your subway stop, let dinner burn, and start sleeping with the lights on.”— The Washington Post A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, Cosmopolitan, Kirkus Reviews, BookPage On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova—a man who hasn’t been seen in public for more than thirty years. For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova’s dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself. Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova’s eerie, hypnotic world. The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career. This time, he might lose even more. Review: Holy wow. Marisha Pessl's latest will leave you breathless, shaking your head, and wanting more... - In 2006, Marisha Pessl's fantastic debut novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, was released, and it hooked me completely. For years I eagerly anticipated her follow-up novel, and finally, seven years later, Night Film was released, to great fanfare in the literary world. Was it worth the wait? Hell, yes. I finished the book last night and I still cannot get it out of my mind. Stanislas Cordova is a famous avant-garde movie director. Known for exposing the horror that lies beneath everyday situations, for manipulating emotions and inflicting psychological terror on his audiences, his films are beloved, reviled, and studied by film scholars worldwide. When the plot of one of Cordova's films is mirrored by an actual murderer, the public tide starts to turn against him, so his films become underground events, "night films," only shown in secret locations known to rabid fans. Cordova's genius is celebrated yet the director, a notorious control freak and recluse, holes himself up in a heavily protected compound in upstate New York, where all of his films are made. Those actors and technicians that have worked with him refuse to talk about their experiences, or have disappeared for new lives in places unknown. There are rumors of the occult, of unspeakable acts being committed against children on Cordova's compound. Is he a twisted mastermind or a malevolent villain? Celebrated investigative journalist Scott McGrath once tangled with Cordova, calling him out on a late night talk show. It destroyed McGrath's career, left him with much less money, and ended his marriage and many professional relationships. So when Cordova's daughter, Ashley, a gifted musician who apparently had more than her own share of demons, is found dead after an alleged suicide attempt, the logical thing for McGrath to do is to let it go, right? But McGrath believes there is a story behind Ashley's death, and her troubled life, and he is determined to uncover it, in the hopes that the trail may lead him back to Cordova himself. Along with Hopper and Nora, two young people with their own connections to Ashley, McGrath begins digging deeper and deeper into what happened to Ashley. What they discover is that there are no easy answers to these questions, and everything they find out moves them closer to and further away from the truth, while placing their lives in danger. And the quest for answers takes McGrath into the horrors of his own mind. This is an ambitious book, more than 600 pages in length, with fake newspaper and magazine articles, webpages, and photos sprinkled throughout to bolster the story. It is truly a thrill ride that leaves you breathless; I found myself wanting to see some of Cordova's movies after hearing them and his craft described so reverently. And while the book spent more time delving into the paranormal than I would have liked, the way that thread was tied up made the time worthwhile. You find yourself wondering just exactly what happened to those who worked with Cordova, or whether McGrath was telling the story the way he heard it, manipulating the facts to fit his own purposes. Pessl did a fantastic job unraveling the plot piece by piece, and while I found myself needing to reread the last 50 or so pages to be sure I understood how things concluded, I felt tremendously satisfied although slightly out of breath, as if I had raced to the story's end. This isn't a book for everyone but it is so well-written, so well-told, that I hope it finds an audience willing to be teased, willing to think, and willing to get utterly hooked. Wow. Review: Dark and gritty - Scott McGrath can't let it go. When news breaks that Cordova's daughter Ashley has committed suicide, Scott must find out why. It may be the answer to his fall from grace all those years ago, when he first started investigating Cordova, the recluse film director. It may be his answer back to the top. It may be darker than he ever imagined. Throw in a pair of amateur detective side kicks and Scott is doing more than investigating the "suicide". He's babysitting two kids who have more to do with Ashley Cordova than he first thought. But as they dive deeper and deeper into the director's legacy, what is real blurs into Cordova's films. Fiction is too close to reality and who says it can't be replicated in real life? I loved Pessl's Special Topics in Calamity Physics. It still is one of my favorite books. So I had high expectations for Night Film. The dark, eerie tone of the book starts off from page one, thrown into this seemingly real world where Cordova's name is feared and revered in the same sentence. The name is bigger than the man, his power unlimited as he explores evil of the human condition in his films and directing. There is tons of Cordova world building, which I love. There's a biography of Cordova, interactive media, "research" pages, synopses of films and actors. The book fully submersed me into the world of Cordova, his films, his mysteries and most of all, his crazy fans. His fans are crazy. They are crazy pants. Have you seen any crazy pills? No? It's because Cordova's fans have eaten them all! The general malicious and dangerous feeling of the book wrapped around my heart, allowing me to only digest the book in small segments. (It took me quite a long time to read it because I was hanging on every word.) And that is something amazing. Cordova, who is merely a ghost through the book, is one of the biggest characters through the story, silently lurking in the shadows. His fans and his films are equally large characters, making the evils of the world faceless strangers weaving in and out of Scott's investigation. These were my favorite parts of the book- Cordova's life, the speculation, the world. I fully believed in this place, this alternate world. Scott, our investigator, is not a favorite. He's selfish, stubborn and only set on one thing- investigating Cordova to find out the truth. He blames his failings on the director and if he could just find out about Ashley and in turn, Cordova's secrets... The characters in Cordova's world are super creepy and interesting. I really loved how the plot twists again and again going from reality to fiction, never knowing what should be believed. There's black magic, death, illness, mysterious items and sacrifices. There's everything and maybe all of it is true and maybe none of it is true. That's part of the beauty of the book- how Pessl rolls them together until no one knows what is possible. The writing is stellar and awesome. There were only a couple of things that bothered me. First off- everyone is eager to talk to Scott. In fact, as far as investigative detectives go, he's pretty lucky. Even when they are told NOT to talk to them, characters can't seem to come out of the woods and secretly hold meetings for him with hidden information, baring their soul and how they knew Ashley Cordova. I found this to be a little bit unbelievable because Cordova's entire world is about secrecy and yet, every place they went, they found someone who was willing to talk to them. Mental hospital security tight? Don't worry- a red headed nurse will run after your car and give you a lead. Security Guard can't talk? Not to fret! He will meet you in the woods outside his house later on. And so forth. Also, I was a bit disappointed in the characters at the end. There wasn't a lot of self reflection, learning, redemption. I liked the plot ending, and the closing scene. That made my day, but Scott's journey was shallow and I still didn't like him by the time I closed the book. I usually need to like the main characters in order to love the book, but Night Film is filled with so much more, it didn't hinder my reading experience at all. Overall, a wonderful book to be read as the weather gets cold and the days get dark ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #77,543 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,240 in Psychological Fiction (Books) #2,088 in Psychological Thrillers (Books) #2,947 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.0 out of 5 stars 4,277 Reviews | ## Images ![Night Film: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91c-wF+H8cL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Holy wow. Marisha Pessl's latest will leave you breathless, shaking your head, and wanting more... *by L***R on August 26, 2013* In 2006, Marisha Pessl's fantastic debut novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, was released, and it hooked me completely. For years I eagerly anticipated her follow-up novel, and finally, seven years later, Night Film was released, to great fanfare in the literary world. Was it worth the wait? Hell, yes. I finished the book last night and I still cannot get it out of my mind. Stanislas Cordova is a famous avant-garde movie director. Known for exposing the horror that lies beneath everyday situations, for manipulating emotions and inflicting psychological terror on his audiences, his films are beloved, reviled, and studied by film scholars worldwide. When the plot of one of Cordova's films is mirrored by an actual murderer, the public tide starts to turn against him, so his films become underground events, "night films," only shown in secret locations known to rabid fans. Cordova's genius is celebrated yet the director, a notorious control freak and recluse, holes himself up in a heavily protected compound in upstate New York, where all of his films are made. Those actors and technicians that have worked with him refuse to talk about their experiences, or have disappeared for new lives in places unknown. There are rumors of the occult, of unspeakable acts being committed against children on Cordova's compound. Is he a twisted mastermind or a malevolent villain? Celebrated investigative journalist Scott McGrath once tangled with Cordova, calling him out on a late night talk show. It destroyed McGrath's career, left him with much less money, and ended his marriage and many professional relationships. So when Cordova's daughter, Ashley, a gifted musician who apparently had more than her own share of demons, is found dead after an alleged suicide attempt, the logical thing for McGrath to do is to let it go, right? But McGrath believes there is a story behind Ashley's death, and her troubled life, and he is determined to uncover it, in the hopes that the trail may lead him back to Cordova himself. Along with Hopper and Nora, two young people with their own connections to Ashley, McGrath begins digging deeper and deeper into what happened to Ashley. What they discover is that there are no easy answers to these questions, and everything they find out moves them closer to and further away from the truth, while placing their lives in danger. And the quest for answers takes McGrath into the horrors of his own mind. This is an ambitious book, more than 600 pages in length, with fake newspaper and magazine articles, webpages, and photos sprinkled throughout to bolster the story. It is truly a thrill ride that leaves you breathless; I found myself wanting to see some of Cordova's movies after hearing them and his craft described so reverently. And while the book spent more time delving into the paranormal than I would have liked, the way that thread was tied up made the time worthwhile. You find yourself wondering just exactly what happened to those who worked with Cordova, or whether McGrath was telling the story the way he heard it, manipulating the facts to fit his own purposes. Pessl did a fantastic job unraveling the plot piece by piece, and while I found myself needing to reread the last 50 or so pages to be sure I understood how things concluded, I felt tremendously satisfied although slightly out of breath, as if I had raced to the story's end. This isn't a book for everyone but it is so well-written, so well-told, that I hope it finds an audience willing to be teased, willing to think, and willing to get utterly hooked. Wow. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dark and gritty *by K***C on October 1, 2013* Scott McGrath can't let it go. When news breaks that Cordova's daughter Ashley has committed suicide, Scott must find out why. It may be the answer to his fall from grace all those years ago, when he first started investigating Cordova, the recluse film director. It may be his answer back to the top. It may be darker than he ever imagined. Throw in a pair of amateur detective side kicks and Scott is doing more than investigating the "suicide". He's babysitting two kids who have more to do with Ashley Cordova than he first thought. But as they dive deeper and deeper into the director's legacy, what is real blurs into Cordova's films. Fiction is too close to reality and who says it can't be replicated in real life? I loved Pessl's Special Topics in Calamity Physics. It still is one of my favorite books. So I had high expectations for Night Film. The dark, eerie tone of the book starts off from page one, thrown into this seemingly real world where Cordova's name is feared and revered in the same sentence. The name is bigger than the man, his power unlimited as he explores evil of the human condition in his films and directing. There is tons of Cordova world building, which I love. There's a biography of Cordova, interactive media, "research" pages, synopses of films and actors. The book fully submersed me into the world of Cordova, his films, his mysteries and most of all, his crazy fans. His fans are crazy. They are crazy pants. Have you seen any crazy pills? No? It's because Cordova's fans have eaten them all! The general malicious and dangerous feeling of the book wrapped around my heart, allowing me to only digest the book in small segments. (It took me quite a long time to read it because I was hanging on every word.) And that is something amazing. Cordova, who is merely a ghost through the book, is one of the biggest characters through the story, silently lurking in the shadows. His fans and his films are equally large characters, making the evils of the world faceless strangers weaving in and out of Scott's investigation. These were my favorite parts of the book- Cordova's life, the speculation, the world. I fully believed in this place, this alternate world. Scott, our investigator, is not a favorite. He's selfish, stubborn and only set on one thing- investigating Cordova to find out the truth. He blames his failings on the director and if he could just find out about Ashley and in turn, Cordova's secrets... The characters in Cordova's world are super creepy and interesting. I really loved how the plot twists again and again going from reality to fiction, never knowing what should be believed. There's black magic, death, illness, mysterious items and sacrifices. There's everything and maybe all of it is true and maybe none of it is true. That's part of the beauty of the book- how Pessl rolls them together until no one knows what is possible. The writing is stellar and awesome. There were only a couple of things that bothered me. First off- everyone is eager to talk to Scott. In fact, as far as investigative detectives go, he's pretty lucky. Even when they are told NOT to talk to them, characters can't seem to come out of the woods and secretly hold meetings for him with hidden information, baring their soul and how they knew Ashley Cordova. I found this to be a little bit unbelievable because Cordova's entire world is about secrecy and yet, every place they went, they found someone who was willing to talk to them. Mental hospital security tight? Don't worry- a red headed nurse will run after your car and give you a lead. Security Guard can't talk? Not to fret! He will meet you in the woods outside his house later on. And so forth. Also, I was a bit disappointed in the characters at the end. There wasn't a lot of self reflection, learning, redemption. I liked the plot ending, and the closing scene. That made my day, but Scott's journey was shallow and I still didn't like him by the time I closed the book. I usually need to like the main characters in order to love the book, but Night Film is filled with so much more, it didn't hinder my reading experience at all. Overall, a wonderful book to be read as the weather gets cold and the days get dark ### ⭐⭐⭐ Excellent Beginning with a Stuttered Ending *by K***R on January 12, 2014* When I first began reading this book, I was enthralled. The mystery behind Ashley Cordova, and the wounded reporter who was obsessed with her father all intrigued me. Where would it end? How would it lead? What would happened? Each day I read new pages, I was so excited. I expected to be riveted and to have my socks "knocked off". *****Possible Spoilers ahead - Please be careful when reading!***** However, this is really NOT what happened. As I got to like chapter 100 (I read the Kindle version), I was just...well...kind of bored. So many things had already irked me in this book. WHY would a hardened reporter, who had been burned before, team up with two kids? I realized he may have needed them for the search, but the cozy friendship he developed with two of them was just illogical. Reporters, by their very nature, are solitary in their campaigns. They generally do not offer shelter to someone helping them out, and they DEFINITELY do not put up with 20 something dudes who are constantly passing out and are unreliable. It really seemed forced, and the chemistry did not appear to be there. When I made it through a large part of the book, I just noticed the story started to backslide to some degree. The motley crew (reporter plus two kids) make their way to the Peak, and then they go through so much. The initial visit itself really did not seem to be very well told, and many of the elements within this visit did not make sense. What did this visit mean? What did they find there? What purpose did this have to the story? I felt like it took so much of the book's generally space that I felt it was just meandering...it really lost me. After that visit to the Peak, the book had me in a complete daze. What happened? Why am I suddenly so bored? I realize that Ashley had a real illness, and that made sense. However, the trip to South America was just...well...FORCED. Why was Cordova not introduced early on? Why were readers not allowed even a glimpse into his actual head...where we could actually "hear" what he said? I know Cordova was a mystery, and the book itself was trying to emulate that. I suppose this is what I found most irksome. I wanted it to be a bystander that told us the story...from all angles...I did not feel it should have been simply an extension of Cordova. All in all, I enjoyed this book, but I was heartily disappointed by many of the elements. The ending was just abrupt and unsatisfying. I do not need to be granted an easy resolution, but I felt too much time was spent on the beginning and middle of the book, but not enough time was spent on explaining EXACTLY what Ashley's motives were, or what Cordova had in his head. ## Frequently Bought Together - Night Film: A Novel - Darkly - Special Topics in Calamity Physics --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/4057268-night-film-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/4057268-night-film-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-09-04*