Lake Union Publishing, Sept. 22, 2015.
Three Stars
This is a great read for the creepy Halloween season – dark and atmospheric. The haunting aspects of the plot are handled lightly and not overdone; I loved that it could be read as either a slow descent into madness and mental illness, or a simple ghost story – and as the novel ends, we never truly learn how much of the story was “real,” versus the characters’ internal struggles.
The story is triggered by Elena’s “terrible misstep,” which seemed a little exaggerated, but probably accurate for the 19th century time period, as she created quite a scandal. Without giving much away, her behavior has her shipped off to Venice to care for a former patient of her father’s, who suffers from epilepsy. However, his seizures become the least of their problems, as Elena and her patient become involved in a love triangle, in which one participant in the relationship might be a ghost. With dark forces at work, it is hard to tell whether either of the men who claim to love Elena, are in fact obsessed with the former – and deceased – resident of the house, Laura.
Although there are romantic elements to the book, it really crosses genres into the realms of historical novel, psychological thriller, and most of all, a truly classic ghost story. And what romance there is, is rarely flowery and poetic – in fact, it most often goes beyond bodice-ripper to BDSM. The changes in atmosphere as well as the quick pace of writing keep tension throughout the story as it moves quickly along to the (unsurprising but still fun) ending.
The neo-gothic Venetian setting is perfect for the many dark secrets that are released throughout the book – there is drama, but it does not turn into melodrama. The characters’ actions are probably not completely authentic to the 19th century, but their behavior makes the book a lot more enjoyable for the modern reader. My only complaint would be that there were perhaps too many genres and elements being forced together into one storyline, but overall this was a fun, creepy read, perfect for a dark and stormy autumn evening.
I received this novel from Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
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