Review-The Cloud of Unknowing
A psychological Mystery by Thomas H. Cook
The Cloud of Unknowing is an intriguing novel about a search for unanswerable questions.
The Cloud of Unknowing
By Thomas H. Cook
Publication Date: May 21, 2007
David Sears and his sister Diana were raised by a brilliant schizophrenic father. He feels he has escaped the family curse, but that their unorthodox upbringing has weighed heavily upon his sister, Diana. The father often challenged his children by demanding they answer complex intellectual questions. Diana, several year older and more compliant ,could always please their half-mad father by her answers, while David was made to feel inferior—“checkers to chess”, as their father put it. But because of her wit, Diana also had the burden of caring for and trying to control their unpredictable father, who often flew into rages.
The two siblings grew up and David, a small-time lawyer ,pursures a low-key existence. He marries and has a daughter. He is relieved when Diana, who took care of their ailing father until his death, also marries and has a child. He feels they now both have chances for a normal life.
But their worlds are soon shaken by the tragic death of Diana’s schizophrenic son who drowns in a nearby pond while her husband, Mark ,is supposed to be watching him. The child was already showing signs of schizophrenia, and the husband seemed to regret his ever being born. It is David‘s gut feeling that Diana may be right about Mark having something to do with the child’s death, even though her accusations are sorely lacking evidence.
Diana begins sending her brother cryptic notes and faxes accusing her now-estranged husband of murder. She has no proof except her own intuition, an inner “voice” that has told her that her husband is guilty. The very earth, she claims, is the only witness to the crime, and she begins to investigate myths, legends, and writings that support what seems a madcap theory that the stones could speak and tell her what they saw.
David rightfully fears Diana is spiraling into the same madness that claimed their father. When Diana begins to spend time with his daughter, Patty, and draw her into her world of what seems a madness of strange theories, David feels the need to protect her by forbidding contact with his sister.
But who needs protecting? And from whom? “Here there be monsters”, early sailors put on maps to warn of unchartered territory; in one place Cook likens this to the labyrinth of Diana’s mind. This book attempts to define the very definition of madness, as David finds himself pushed into rash acts he finds that he too, walks the borderline between two worlds.
There is a 14th century spiritual text penned by an anonymous hand also called The Cloud of Unknowing, which deals with the quest for spiritual knowledge. It is possible Cook’s title alludes to this ancient text. Cook’s novel is a blend of literary, mystery, and psychological fiction. The book is not fast-paced, yet the reader feels a growing sense of dread. Though the conclusion of the novel seems a bit undefined, the book will make you think long after you close the last page—not just about the characters but the very meaning of sanity itself and that small voice that sometimes warns of impending danger.
Thomas H. Cook is the author of numerous novels of psychological suspense. Two of his best known titles are Breakheart Hill and The Chatham School Affair , which won an Edgar for Best Novel in 1997. He also writes true crime.
Click here to purchase a copy of The Cloud of Unknowing
