Since “Hannibal” novels can’t ever be cheery, he’s saying goodbye to the dying Bella even as he takes on Starling as a protégé. Her boss, Crawford, probably realizes this, too it’s probably not accidental that this is the book where we learn he has a strong woman in his life, his wife Bella. It’s a theme throughout “Silence of the Lambs,” but Harris underscores it fairly late in the book when Starling notes that all of Buffalo Bill’s victims are women, yet there are no full-time female agents working the case. Starling, though, is an obvious precursor to Scully in the way she uses her dedication to school to climb the career ladder, tamping down the regular, subtle sexism she encounters.
I noted in my “Red Dragon” review that Graham might’ve been an inspiration for Mulder in “The X-Files,” but that’s a loose link: Both start off as profilers who write a legendary monograph in FBI circles, but their personalities very much diverge. She pushes her fears to the side for the moment and coaches herself step by step through the situation, using what she’s been taught, right down to basics such as “gun barrel just below the eye line.” Precursor to Scully
In tense situations such as her search of a storage garage (which turns out to feature the first clue, a severed and pickled head) and the conclusive basement showdown with Buffalo Bill, the author takes us into Clarice’s mind. Harris shows remarkable insight into what it’s like for Starling from the perspective of a learner and a woman.
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