Terrible People

 I'm a historian. I know a little about Russia's troubled history. Not much. Not enough. But Putin's invasion of Ukraine broke my heart. What would possess the leader of a country to bring this much misery and suffering on people? Not only will Ukrainians suffer, Russian citizens will a pay a heavy price for the aspirations of this one man.  

"Real life" is very difficult right now. My own family has endured more than its share of death and suffering this past year. It's affected my tolerance for violence and dismal endings in books, movies, and TV series. 

Two nights in a row, I have watched movies that had an unexpected level of violence. I detest movies with an "oh well, it's the system" or "people are mostly evil"--"so we might as well join them" endings.

 Even worse are movies that have no ending. They have a beginning and a middle and a middle. At least I'm drawn out of my self-imposed popcorn stupor by these offerings because my reaction is absolute fury. I feel tricked. 

The alternative seems to be movies that are at best, silly or so poorly written that they are painful to watch. I loved The Power of the Dog. It has been nominated for a number of Oscars. I wish there were more movies that would emulate this movie's flawless plot and excellent direction. 

One of granddaughters said recently she was tired of reading books about bad people doing bad things. In real life, most of the people I know are good people. They try to do the right thing by their families and their country. I'm struck by how many kind people there are in this world. One of most engaging predicaments in literature is a good person who finds him or herself in a muddle because of unintended consequences. I find myself rereading books that I fell in love with years ago simply because of the excellent craftsmanship.

Right now, I'm quite taken by psychological suspense. This sub-genre is a throwback to my beloved Gothic authors. I loved books written by Daphne du Maurier.  Nevertheless, there is a growing trend to celebrate heroines bent on revenge or ruining someone just for kicks. 

Mysteries, as a whole, are a delight to read. I think that's why the bestseller lists are consistently filled with titles from this genre. 

In my favorite mysteries, the good guy wins. I like that best in real life too.