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A review by faerieoftheforest
My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
4.5
4.5 stars
My Darling Dreadful Thing centers around Roos, a young woman who can see spirits. Her mother is abusive and exploits her so-called "madness" by organizing sham séances. Roos’ lone solace is found in Ruth, her spirit companion that only she can see. As luck would have it, an opportunity to escape her mother’s clutches arises when Agnes Knoop, a young and wealthy widow, attends one of the séances. Suddenly, in true gothic fashion, Roos finds herself swept away to live at Agnes’ isolated and dilapidated estate.
The synopsis itself reminded me a little of Crimson Peak, one of my all-time favorite films. The story is fraught with lush descriptions, secrets and sapphic longing. Every page is just brimming with desire and hunger. I found the depictions of the spirits to be quite intriguing and unique. Roos describes their features in a way that should be frightening, grotesque even, and yet she finds them beautiful. I loved the tragic romance between Roos and Agnes. They are two marginalized women who have experienced immense trauma that ultimately find refuge in each other. The story expertly alternates between Roos’ time at the estate and transcripts of interviews between Roos and a doctor, where she explains what occurred. This narrative style made the story far more engaging.
My Darling Dreadful Thing was a very lovely but also tragic novel. I’m excited to read what this author writes next!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC. (This book was published on May 14, 2024.)
My Darling Dreadful Thing centers around Roos, a young woman who can see spirits. Her mother is abusive and exploits her so-called "madness" by organizing sham séances. Roos’ lone solace is found in Ruth, her spirit companion that only she can see. As luck would have it, an opportunity to escape her mother’s clutches arises when Agnes Knoop, a young and wealthy widow, attends one of the séances. Suddenly, in true gothic fashion, Roos finds herself swept away to live at Agnes’ isolated and dilapidated estate.
The synopsis itself reminded me a little of Crimson Peak, one of my all-time favorite films. The story is fraught with lush descriptions, secrets and sapphic longing. Every page is just brimming with desire and hunger. I found the depictions of the spirits to be quite intriguing and unique. Roos describes their features in a way that should be frightening, grotesque even, and yet she finds them beautiful. I loved the tragic romance between Roos and Agnes. They are two marginalized women who have experienced immense trauma that ultimately find refuge in each other. The story expertly alternates between Roos’ time at the estate and transcripts of interviews between Roos and a doctor, where she explains what occurred. This narrative style made the story far more engaging.
My Darling Dreadful Thing was a very lovely but also tragic novel. I’m excited to read what this author writes next!
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC. (This book was published on May 14, 2024.)