Rhiannon

Clearly familiar with the VHEMT group/movement, this author had a very interesting premise for this logical/nihilistic (depending on which side of this particular philosophy you fall on) novel that I was very interested to read, as my own familiarity with VHEMT goes all the way back to 1992, shortly after the group was formed.

Unfortunately, despite the decent writing, it at times also came off as pretentious and preachy (and I’m someone who’s not adverse to the basic underlying VHEMT beliefs). I enjoy a good philosophical horror, which this is – good vs evil, humanity’s hubris, religious themes, etc… but it also was far too repetitive for me, and maybe that’s because I’m quite familiar with this movement already? Maybe for those new to it it’s more effective in driving the point home? But I kinda doubt it. There’s just too much repetition of scenes, and phrases. For a minor example the phrase ‘black heart’ is repeated nearly 100 times throughout the book and it was honestly wearing on my nerves. Like, I get it already please stop clubbing me over the head with this 🙄… and that’s just a phrase. I think it would be more enjoyable if it was cut down by at least a third? I think it would be more accessible to a wider audience then.

This is a very heavy ‘internal monologuing’ kind of novel without a lot of movement, so you really have to go into it with that in mind. It’s not light reading by any stretch. It’s dismal and heavy and misanthropic, but it also makes you think and ruminate on the core nature of humanity. For some, this might be too much though, too draggy, but it also might work for those who enjoy a more cerebral horror. You will absolutely feel mentally exhausted reading this.

I went into this thinking I’d really enjoy the philosophical horror but felt myself far more interested in the physical horror aspects (some very excellent visceral scenes, excellent creature and world building). The scope and length and structure put me in mind, very distantly, of some of Clive Barker’s longer novels like Weaveworld and Imajica, and I was impressed by that kind of detail.

In this case though the length and repetition ultimately detracted too much from it being a good or great novel for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Witching Hole Publications for the ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

A lovely gothic novel set in 1950s Netherlands complete with a forbidden sapphic romance, a decaying manor house in the country and ghosts that bind themselves to their haunted humans (à la Lasher of Rice’s Mayfair Witches) all strongly in the vein of Poe and du Maurier.

Roos grows up under the abusive, exploitive, and strict rule of her (maybe) mother, performing sham séances for money. But Roos has a real spirit tethered to her, Ruth, who has protected and cared for her since she was a child. When Roos reaches the age of 21 her mother effectively sells her off to a mysterious, wealthy widow, Agnes, who says she only wants to have Roos as a companion and seems to understand that Roos’ claim of the spirit Ruth is, in fact, real. Agnes and Roos have much in common.

Roos happily goes off with Agnes to live in her decrepit home in the country, also inhabited by Agnes’ ailing sister-in-law, the memory of Agnes’ deceased husband, and loads of secrets and inherited familial madness.

A haunting and elegantly written gothic romance with plenty of deep dark secrets, charming and terrifying ghosts and a story that unfolds at a languid pace. The story was intriguing, the setting atmospheric, and the characters complex and morally ambiguous. The structure of the story was done well with short ‘interviews’ Roos has with a doctor, separated by 3-4 chapters of first-person narrative told from her POV, so you’re never really certain just how reliable she is, but I found myself drawn to her eagerness for a normal life and her sweet relationship with her spirit, Ruth. I found myself really rooting for her.

Strongly recommend for that haunting, atmospheric read!