Cat and Mouse

British author John Fowles' first published novel The Collector (1963) is a creepy tale of a man who kidnaps a young woman and holds her hostage in a basement. Told initially from the perspective of the kidnapper, and then in the form of a journal kept by his victim, this thriller leads readers to understand the motivations of both characters, all the while wondering how the story will unfold.

Frederick Clegg collects butterflies in jars so he can admire their beauty. He is a loner, unable to socialise with others. He forms a deep fascination with art student, Miranda Grey, but realises he cannot talk to her. He thinks that if she got to know him, she would surely come to love him. She would be the prize of his collection.

Clegg purchases an isolated house in the English countryside and converts the basement into a soundproof locked room, filled with art books, clothing and other items he believes Miranda will appreciate. After tracking her for weeks, an opportunity presents itself to acquire her. He grabs her on her way home, ties her up in his van and takes her home. She awakens from a chloroformed haze in Clegg's prison. 

Over the coming days and weeks of her confinement, Clegg believes he is the perfect host - he buys Miranda whatever she wants, he takes her upstairs to have proper baths, he prepares nice meals for her. Miranda cannot figure Clegg out - as he has not physically harmed her. She baits him, acts like a friend, mocks him mercilessly, stops talking and goes on a hunger strike - all the while plotting an escape. Will she break free? Will she be found? Will he grant her freedom?

Fowles creates a claustrophobic cage in which these two characters interact. The first part is narrated by Clegg. He is a terrifying character in that he is clearly a psychopath, but seems more misunderstood than menacing. That Fowles can make a reader empathise with Clegg is a testament to his writing. Miranda's diary reveal her to be shallow, elitist and slowly going mad inside her cell. Through the perspectives of the two narrators we learn that they each suspect the other of lying but play along with the deceptions in the hopes of gaining some advantage. Perhaps neither narration is true, and the reader needs to ascertain what lies in the space between their accounts. 

For the most part I enjoyed The Collector. Clegg was fascinating and I wanted to know what he would do next. But I found Miranda's diary too long and meandering, with ramblings about her friends and family that took away from the immediacy of the situation, thereby slowing the pace. I would have edited the bulk of Miranda's part down or left it out entirely.  But overall, I thought it was a really interesting novel.

The Collector was adapted as a film (1965) directed by William Wyler and starring Terrance Stamp and Samantha Eggar. The film poster describes it as 'almost a love story' so I will be interested to track the film down and see if they romanticised the story. I hope not.

I would also imagine The Collector has inspired other writers as you can see elements in Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs (1988) and in plenty of film and television series.  This novel is also on the list of 1001 books to read before you die.