One Deadly Summer

1983 • Crime, Drama, Mystery • R

In spring 1976, a 19-year-old beauty, her German-born mother, and her crippled father move to the town of a firefighter nicknamed Pin-Pon. Everyone notices the provocative Eliane. She singles out Pin-Pon and soon is crying on his shoulder (she's myopic and hates her reputation as a dunce and as easy); she moves in with him, knits baby clothes, and plans their wedding. Is this love or some kind of plot? She asks Pin-Pon's mother and aunt about the piano in the barn: who delivered it on a November night in 1955? Why does she want to know, and what does it have to do with her mother's sorrows, her father's injury, this quick marriage, and the last name on her birth certificate?

Runtime: 2h 10m

Delve into the rich, layered prose of Sebastien Japrisot's "One Deadly Summer," where the written word takes you deeper into the psyche of its characters than cinema ever could. The novel offers an intimate exploration of the tangled web of emotions and motivations that drive its protagonist, Eliane, on her quest for revenge. It provides a more comprehensive understanding of her inner turmoil and the events that shaped her enigmatic personality. The book captivates with its exquisite attention to detail, painting vivid pictures of the pastoral French countryside and its inhabitants, engaging the reader's imagination far beyond the screen's limited scope. Japrisot's masterful storytelling invites readers to immerse themselves fully in the narrative, savoring each suspenseful twist that the film simply glosses over due to time constraints. In reading "One Deadly Summer," you're treated to an intricate tapestry woven with suspense, psychological depth, and emotional nuance that transcends its cinematic adaptation. Engage with the original text to fully appreciate Japrisot's skill in capturing the essence of a haunting human drama that lingers long after the final page is turned.