A review by julie_embleton
Mr Stoker & I by Becky Wright

5.0

Bram Stoker arrives in Whitby following a theatre tour of Scotland. Early one morning he meets Lucy Meredith on the clifftop and mesmerised by her presence, listens to her tale. When Lucy gifts Bram with her diary, the true depths of the horrors she has suffered are revealed.

As a fan of Becky Wright, I was excited to read her latest work and was not left disappointed. Mr Stoker & I is set in the late 1800’s and is styled as if written in that time. Laced with a dark, gothic atmosphere, Lucy’s story is a desperate and chilling one with an ending that had me weeping. This is not a fast paced read. Much like life was lived back then, Wright takes you through Lucy’s story with an unhurried pace. Once I understood I had to settle into this tempo, I enjoyed the book to its fullest.

As Lucy’s life and sanity unravels under the presence of Vladimir, there is no hint of the romance found in modern vampire tales. Instead, the brutal side of this theme is explored, leaving me haunted by the betrayal, desire and terror in the pages. As foreboding built, so did my apprehension for the fate of each character, and while the ending had me crying, I love how Wright closed Lucy’s tale.

This is unlike any other book I’ve read and it’s one I know I’ll return to in the future. Were Bram Stoker alive today, I think he would delight in this story. Having read Dracula and watched every form of its retelling, Mr Stoker & I has left me wanting to believe the classic tale did indeed come from a chance meeting with Lucy Meredith under the shadow of Whitby Abbey. This book has the makings of a classic and earns a solid five stars.