There's a lot to recommend when it comes to Night Film. It's got some creepy elements that I found genuinely effective. It does a surprisingly good job of capturing that Satanic Panic vibe that permeated media in my childhood, suggesting a hidden world full of active Satanic cults and dark witchcraft hidden in every community.

It also does an effective job of remaining ambiguous about the stories it tells and the reality of magic within its own universe. I'm usually a fan of stories that understand that depriving the reader of some answers can be impressively unnerving.

My reason for giving this book 3 stars is unfair. It's because Scott McGrath, the protagonist, just straight up sucks.

McGrath is the absolute epitome of a tiresome middle aged dude who subjects everyone to his lame jokes and references, and seems generally oblivious to why everyone in his life disapproves of his behavior even though everyone makes it pretty clear why they're upset. They're upset because he puts his work first, always, sometimes to the point of causing literal harm to those around him. And as the narrator, he generally brushes all this off as an after thought.

Don't get me wrong, Marisha Pessl paints this character with surprising accuracy. I've known guys like McGrath. It's just tiresome to be in his head for such a long book.