Another thing is the dialogue. In the early pages of By Nightfall, Peter is in bed with his wife, and they’re flipping channels on the TV. They stop on Vertigo. I’m going to cut into the middle of the conversation where the line that starts the conversation is repeated a second time by Rebecca:
“We can’t get hooked on this.” “Why not?” “I’m too tired.” “Tomorrow’s just Sunday.” “You know how it turns out.” “How what turns out?” “The movie.” “Sure I know how it turns out. I also know that Anna Karenina gets run over by a train.” “Watch it, if you want.” “Not if you don’t want to.” “I’m too tired. I’ll be cranky tomorrow. You go ahead.” “You can’t sleep with the TV on.” “I can try.” “No. It’s okay.”
By Nightfall is sharp and well-written. A delight.
