Gothic Literature Book Reviews

                                             The Monastery by Walter Scott was first published in 1820 by Archibald Constable & Co, Edinburgh. The story is something of a whimsical one, with Scott showing a wry sense of humour. The tale begins shortly after the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547, with the victorious English then invading parts of southern Scotland and ransacking the monasteries. The monastery in the novel is the fictional one of St Mary's, based on Melrose Abbey. The hero, Halbert Glendinning, is still a young lad, whose father had been killed in the battle, but he shows his mettle by standing up to an English knight. The story moves on to the years after the peace of 1550. The monks have returned to their monastery and continue life as before, however those in favour of the Reformation are gaining ground. The humour is added with the arrival of Sir Percie...

Dorval, or the Speculator by Sarah Sayward Barrell Keating Wood, first published in 1801. Printed by Nutting and Whitelock at the Ledger Press for the author. The book is set in New England, shortly after the Revolutionary War and tells the story of Aurelia Morley, the only daughter of Colonel Morley, a hero of the war. The family are comfortably off, until they fall into the scheming hands of the eponymous Dorval. The author uses the real Yazoo land speculation fraud in Georgia as a backdrop. Colonel Morley is promised wealth beyond his dreams by Dorval, purchasing vast amounts of land in Georgia for a little over a dollar an acre, but borrowing money to do so, certain of selling the land at a substantial profit. When Georgia reformers overturned the Act which allowed the sales, Colonel Morley was left severely in debt, leading to misery for the family and also their friends, the Dunbars. Dorval is not satisfied with financial ruin for the family. He is in love with Aurelia, but she r...

The Putnams of Salem by Greg Houle, published by Blydyn Square Books, Kenilworth, NJ 2024. This is a historical novel with serious Gothic overtones, set as it is during the Salem witch trials. The author himself is descended from the Putnams in the novel. The story follows the first person narratives of Thomas Putnam, an upstanding and influential member of the Salem community, and a staunch accuser of many of those tried for witchcraft, and also of his twelve-year-old daughter Anna, one of the afflicted girls. Thomas is almost fanatical in his need to keep Salem pure and free from evil, yet there are also personal grievances at issue, particularly with association to his younger half-brother, Joseph, who inherited their father's estate. The author uses historical information to keep the story accurate, but it is a work of fiction. Houle examines the psychology behind the accusations, and given that one of his ancestors was the chief accuser, responsible for numerous hangings, one...

Come Closer by Sara Gran, first published 2003 in the USA by Soho Press, Inc. First published 2005 in the UK by Atlantic Books. This is not your traditional Gothic novel, however it includes several Gothic tropes and is akin to Charlotte Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper (1892). Amanda is a thirty-four year old architect, seemingly happy with her career, her home and her husband, Ed. But is she?  The story begins with a report Amanda has submitted at work being mysteriously substituted for vicious insults about her boss. She begins to hear strange tap-taps in her home, a loft apartment a little out of the main part of the city. She bickers with her husband when he returns home late. She also has strange dreams about a beautiful woman with tangled hair and pointy teeth. As Amanda's behaviour deteriorates - renewing a smoking habit, shop-lifting and burning her husband with a cigarette - she begins to think she is being possessed by a Biblical demon, but that would be ridiculous, wo...

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, first published in the USA by Viking Press in 1962. This is a short novel/novella about mental illness, social pressures and isolation. Mary Katherine Blackwood, known as Merricat, lives in the family's large house in an unnamed New England town, with her elder sister, Constance, and her invalid uncle. Six years previously, her mother, father, brother and an aunt died from arsenic poisoning. The arsenic was in the sugar bowl. Constance was arrested, but acquitted. The townsfolk, however, believe she was guilty and only got off because the family were rich and influential. Since the trial, Constance has not ventured from the house and its garden, devoting her life to looking after Merricat and her uncle and spending most of the time cooking. The story is told from the viewpoint of Merricat, who was twelve when the murders occurred. She was not at the table as she had been sent to her room for misbehaviour. She is now eighteen, ...

The Cloisters by Katy Hays, first published in 2022 by Bantam. This book has all the ingredients to make a fantastic Gothic novel, yet somehow it just doesn't come together.  It is set, mainly, in the Cloisters museum in New York, complete with its poison garden, and the setting is wonderfully described. The weather is smouldering, with occasional thunderstorms. There is dangerous rivalry, obsession, mental imbalance, hints of the supernatural, tarot cards and murder. Ann, the main protagonist, arrives in New York from Walla Walla in Washington State to take up a summer residency at the Metropolitan museum. There is a problem, and she is seconded to the Cloisters. There she meets Patrick, the curator and his assistant, the rich and talented Rachel. Patrick is having an affair with Rachel and  initially he appears to be an interesting character, but his character is not developed. This is partly because the story is told through Ann's eyes, and she is only interested in his aca...