Chances are you may already know this story and its characters--this novel was adapted to film faithfully in 1960, becoming one of the most famous horror pictures of all time. In its original incarnation, the Psycho novel hits a lot of the same story beats as the film, but a little differently. The famous shower scene happens much earlier (largely because the book takes much less time tracking Mary Crane's story arc). This story circles around Norman Bates, a lonely, overweight, geeky middle-aged man struggling to keep his unassuming motel in business. And his life seems to be ruled by a domineering mother, who would do anything to keep Norman safe and keep him away from the amoral temptations of women. Including murder. So when Mary Crane runs off with $40K and happens by the motel, things don't go well, and other characters are drawn to the motel to uncover Norman's darkest secrets.
The story is interesting by nature, thanks to its close focus on Norman Bates and all the problems that define him as a literal psychopath. Roughly inspired by the real-life crimes of Ed Gein (a killer so vicious he'd inspire both this story and Texas Chain Saw Massacre), Norman's life is encapsulated by impulses and obsessions, some repressed and others explicit. The book paints this character vividly in his actions--everything from reading gory history books to spying on women in his motel rooms to his arguments with his mother. There is a marvelous twist to this story (chances are you know it already)--much like Fight Club or the film The Sixth Sense, it's something that makes you want to re-read or review past events and see them in a completely different context that somehow works. As additional pieces to Norman's character, those story twists add even more dimension--he was a very well-designed and fascinating character worth reading and studying.
When the prose focuses on Norman, the book is at its best. With other side characters, the voice becomes much more neutral. I found myself less enamored (and perhaps even bored) by Sam, Lila, and Mr. Arbogast. Even though the book does maintain a close-enough distance to them to follow their thoughts and their journey, they come off as shallow and less interesting characters compared to Norman. But their inclusion is necessary to stir up the plot some.
With the plot, it is an intriguing story with an ingenious premise and twist. In text form, it's a little dry to get through, on account that this is one of those books with huge swathes of introspect and inner conflict and less physical action. An awful lot of prose is spent on exploring the character thoughts--when it's Norman, it can be genuinely freakish and thrilling. With other characters, tension and momentum are often lost.
And yet, this is an older novel that abides by older writing rules. I suspect if this was written today, it would be shorter, punchier, would have a lot less explanation on backstories (especially regarding Mary's situation, how Norman's motel business fared), and the exposition at the end would probably be different (a complaint I always hear about the film, but the book has the same scene in different wording--it's still exposition for the readers' benefit and it does stick out). What the book does do well, thankfully, is get nice and deep with Norman's POV, and it's enough to make it a thrilling and worthwhile read.
As a book, it's short but a little dry. There are sporadic bursts of great characterization, and it truly cements Norman Bates as a deep and definitive villain of horror. Personally, I prefer the film by a wider margin--it has the unique strengths of its own, thanks to its expert cinematography, performances (especially by Anthony Perkins, who doesn't resemble the book's description at all, but was picked specifically for the role because of how normal he seemed--thus becoming scarier as a villain who could be anybody anywhere). The film also took a unique liberty with the plot, by stretching out Mary's arc and following her as the POV character as a deliberate attempt to mislead audiences. Even though this may have all started with the book, I give the movie the edge for taking this freaky story and making a heck of a show (and a classic) out of it.
3.5/5
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