Darkly Dreaming Dexter
When it comes to Dexter I knew the tv show existed well before I knew there were books that the show was based on. The concept of a compassionate serial killer interested me (doesn’t that sound horrible) and the movie Monster, the story of Aileen Wuornos. In Monster Aileen felt that she was only getting rid of the “garbage” that was out there. Dexter is attempting the same thing, the only difference with Dexter is that being a part of the police force (as a blood spatter expert) knows that the people he’s killing are actually criminal.
A couple weeks ago I watched Dexter and enjoyed the show but I felt something was missing. Dexter didn’t seem to be a complete character. The only time I truly enjoyed the show was when the viewer was given a glimpse into Dexter’s thoughts, it was at these moments we got to explore the dark side of Dexter. Knowing his thought process is what the show is all about, without that the show becomes very two dimensional. And I knew there had to be more Dexter, I couldn’t pin point what it was. I was bound to find out what it was.
I knew Susan (Naked Without Books) had both Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. It was while watching Dexter that this information was pulled from the dark recesses of my brain, so I quickly asked her if I could borrow the book. Like other times when I needed a book I could go to Susan for it. It was at a meeting of Bookleaves where the great book exchange happened (which is becoming a regular occurrence) and it wasn’t long after I got the books that I dove right into it. It was while reading Darkly Dreaming Dexter that I found what was missing from the show.
Lindsay brought all the characters alive and I really got to enjoy Dexter for the skillful serial slaughterer he is. Thought out the novel we hear about the “dark passenger” that resides in Dexter. It was the interaction between the two parts of Dexter that was really missing from the the Showtime production, not surprisingly because to portray that interaction on screen is very difficult. I think the differences in the tale itself between the two were quite stunning and both did what was needed to propel the story in their various medium.
In the Showtime show dealt with relationships just as Lindsay did in his first Dexter installment but in a much different way. Showtime revealed Dexter’s interactions with the other characters more than Lindsay did. Lindsay, which I think works better, explores the intense relationship Dexter has with the “passenger” which shows the brilliance of this character.
Both the book and the show started out being very similar but about half way through had to take very different paths. It’s hard to critique these since they both work for their respective genre. I enjoyed both the book and the show but I think the book was more complete and much more fulfilling than the show. Give them both a shot, there is much more than what I’ve had to say about them. I just don’t want to be one of those people that has spoilers embedded here so I avoided many specifics.
I cannot leave this without talking about Jeff Lindsay’s use of alliteration. Wow, he had so much alliteration in there and I just ate up every time he used this great literary device. You get a glimpse into his use of alliteration with the titles of his books (Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Dearly Devoted Dexter). While reading I couldn’t wait for the next time Lindsay strung those three words together each time made my mouth water, wishing I could do the same thing when I wrote.
