Weekly Reader: The Cuts That Cure by Arthur Herbert; Suspenseful But Disjointed Psychological Thriller About Two Violent Criminals In The Making
By Julie Sara Porter
Bookworm Reviews
Spoilers: Arthur Herbert's The Cuts That Cure does not stop with one despicable violent character. He gives us two. One is a teenager and the other a disgraced doctor, both of which who develop a lust for crime and violence.
Alex Brantley, an ER doctor, was fired for committing an act of violence against an abusive parent. After an unsuccessful suicide attempt, Alex moves to a small Texas town and attempts to rebuild his life as a science teacher.
One of the students at the school is Henry Wallis, a young lad with a history of unusual behavior. After exhibiting troubling behavior as a youngster, Henry becomes filled with the compulsive urge to hurt others. He drives to a park outside San Antonio and sees several homeless people and an opportunity. As Henry develops into a potential serial killer, Alex becomes involved with some shady characters who entice him to travel with them to Mexico for illegal means.
By themselves, both Henry's and Alex's plots are decent. Henry's plot is fascinating as we read about his methodical approach to commit the perfect crime. He scouts the area, looks for someone whose death may not be noticed, and covers all traces. Even though he is still a teenager, this is clearly something that he has thought about for a long time. There is something cold blooded almost alien in his approach that is meant to send chills down the Reader's spine.
Henry's plot sounds like Hitchcock by way of Hannibal Lector.
Alex's plots however is more of dark comedy almost Tarentinoesque set to book form. He is accosted (during a football game no less) by these dubious guys inviting him to Mexico. They are so obvious in their attempts at illegal activity, that they might as well carry a sign that says "Illegal Doings 'R' Us". Alex is oblivious or arrogant to their intentions and the potential dangers that this trip to Mexico would result. That puts the Reader one step ahead of him. When he does encounter the criminal underworld, it's less of a surprise and more results in the Reader raising their hand and saying "Who called it?"
The contrasting tone of the psychological terror of Henry's story and the dark comedy of Alex's story is jarring to say the least. In fact, both of these plots could have worked just as well if not better as stories in their own right. More time would have been focused on each character and his descent into villainy.
However, there is a point where the transition actually works. As Henry's burgeoning career comes to an end, Alex's darker nature begins to take over. He's not a bumbling arrogant fool stumbling into trouble. He becomes the real actor in villainy. Almost like despite his youth, Henry had to be removed so Alex could be reborn. The final passage where Alex visits someone just to torture them shows how far Alex has gone from the man who assaulted a parent that had abused his child. In fact it's more chilling than anything that Henry has done throughout the entire book.
The Cuts That Cure at first makes you think that the two stories are separate and incomplete. Towards the end we learn that they explore the darker nature that could exist with anyone whether it's in a high school student or a pillar of the community.
