Genre: General Fiction
Book Summary: When Margaret Lea, an amateur biographer, is commissioned to write the biography for extremely popular and mysterious author Vida Winter, she is thrown into a story of intrigue, scandal, and lies that have characterized Vida’s life, a life that is quickly succumbing to disease and old age. Margaret has demons of her own though, and as the novel progresses, both Vida and Margaret learn not only the awesome power of a story, but the freedom that acknowledging the truth brings.
Indulgent Book Talk: This book was a reread for me, and a delightful one at that. This is a book lover’s book, indulging the reader in the craft of writing and the potency of a good story. It is beautifully written and expertly crafted in its plot, and reflects the style and tone of nineteenth-century British Gothic novels (think Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights). I love how this book deliciously unfolds the plot and keeps the reader engaged the entire time, wondering what exactly is going on and being surprised when everything is brought to light. Even with a second read, this book did not fail to disappoint, and I noticed more nuances and small twists the second time around.
Glorifying Elements: Two major themes that resonated with me were the value of the truth and the importance of friendships. Vida Winters has told lies to the media her whole life about who she is where she came from, which has literally destroyed her life, emotionally and physically. Having Margaret write her biography is her confession of sorts, and the more she reveals, the more peace she seems to have with her life and the direction it has taken. Likewise, Margaret comes to terms with a tragedy of her own and the way it has impacted her family and is left with a sense of closure at the end. The book clearly shows the dangers of taking fiction too far, especially when the lines between fiction and reality are blurred.
Additionally, one thing that Vida and Margaret have in common is their reclusive natures; Margaret loses herself in books and Vida has maintained none but one volatile relationship in her life. Their conversations together and with others they encounter eventually bring them out of their respective shells, and they are both better because of it. God created us to exist in community with each other, and this book, though it makes no claims to any sort of Christian worldview, clearly shows the danger in resisting relationships with others: that we can become hard, selfish, and desperately lonely without even realizing it.
Worldly Elements: This book is really very dark and moody, and if it were put to film, I imagine it would receive a PG-13 rating. One thing you might want to be warned about is that there is an incestuous relationship depicted, but the author handles it with a lot of tact and virtually no description; you only know what is going on by vague dialogue between the two characters. It is in no way glorified or reveled in; in fact, it is one of the main things that sets in motion a lot of the terrible events that happen in the book, including rape and the birth of illegitimate children. Setterfield really does a fantastic job though of making sure the reader understands what is going on without wallowing in the messy details of such happenings; she could’ve very easily done that, and a lot of authors do, but she doesn’t, and that’s deliberate. I really appreciated that about her. She respects the intelligence of her readers in this way, I think.
General Recommendation: I don’t know if I would call this one of my favorite books, but it is certainly one that I have enjoyed more than once, and I appreciate it both for its writing and its story, which doesn’t often go hand-in-hand in every book I read. If you are not just a reader, but a bibliophile, you will probably really like this book. Fans of Gothic literature will also like this respectful homage to that influential period in English literature. It is a dark book, not one to read if you are looking for something cheerful, but the ending is uplifting and satisfying.
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