With the film Staw Dogs out in theaters everywhere, Titan Books had decided to send me a copy of the re-released novel that inspired it all, Gordon Williams’ The Siege of Trenchers Farm. I had originally anticipated on doing a comparison of the book to the film since I normally don’t review books, but because I haven’t had a chance to see the movie yet I’m going to do more of a traditional review.
The Siege of Trenchers Farm is about an American professor named George Magruder who relocates to the English countryside with his English wife Louise and daughter Karen. They decide to rent an isolated house called Trencher’s farm in Cornwall so that George can finish writing his book. One night, George and his family are driving back from a party when they run over a convicted child killer. Once the redneck-like locals of Dando Monachorum discover that George has the innocent looking killer in his home, they take to arms in an attempt to kill the man whom they suspect of killing Janice, one of the locals’ daughters.
In its most simple form, The Siege of Trenchers Farm is a home invasion thriller where our extremely pacifist lead must transform his entire belief system to one of carnage if he wants to protect his family, home, and the convicted killer from being harmed by the barbaric locals. This is the basic story of both the novel and Rob Lurie’s new film starring Alexander Skarsgard, James Marsden and Kate Bosworth.
I love home invasion thrillers and I think that’s what originally attracted me to Mr. Williams’ novel. Once I opened it and saw that it was a spaced out 225 pager, I then thought not only does it have a great premise but it is relatively short which means that anybody who can read should give this one a shot. What makes this book special is that it wastes none of your time by ignoring allthe BS associated with storytelling. Instead, Williams gives us the background of the three sets of characters that we will encounter early on and then quickly and skillfully smashes them together, resulting in the exciting story that I’ve already told you about.
While the story’s greatest strength lies in its relentless and ferocious pace, my favorite part of the novel is when the action begins and we get to witness George internally battling his life’s philosophy and value system. The guy is a pacifist and even in the most life threatening situations he still doesn’t want to really hurt the men trying to break into his home. Not only does this struggle continue for about half the time in which the men are trying to break in, his wife refuses to support him during it. She acts like a complete b*tch and then changes her position when he decides that all hope might be lost. She consistently has a negative impact on him throughout the entire story and is almost as useless as a pocket knife in a gun fight. Either way you look at it, George’s character is certainly unique and watching him struggle throughout the night up until the climax truly fascinating.
[Minor spoilers]This brings me to the story’s tagline, “everyone has a breaking point,” and, as the action progresses, that is the precise moment the reader is craving for. After an incident occurs inside the home, George becomes a “real man,” takes complete control of the house, slaps his wife in order to snap her out of whatever funk she is in, and turns into probably the most violent man of them all [end of spoilers]. It’s an exhilarating turning point in the book and one that exemplifies Williams’ skill as a writer of suspense.
By the time you reach the end of The Siege of Trenchers Farm you realize that is the perfect book for any fan of thrillers, either in the cinematic or novel form. It’s a simple and sweet adrenaline rush that grabs your attention, keeps you guessing, and is likely to turn you into a cheerleader for Professor George Magruder. What I’m trying to say is that it is well worth your time and probably one of the easiest thrillers you’ll ever read so pick it up, borrow it, read it and then go check out the film(s) [The original film stars Dustin Hoffman].
Rating: 9/10
