I Should Read That

Book review

Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see. Ruth-strange, corpse-like, and dead for centuries-is the light of Roos’ life. That is, until the wealthy young widow Agnes Knoop visits one of Roos’ backroom seances, and the two strike up a connection.

Soon, Roos is whisked away to the crumbling estate Agnes inherited upon the death of her husband, where an ill woman haunts the halls, strange smells drift through the air at night, and mysterious stone statues reside in the family chapel. Something dreadful festers in the manor, but still, the attraction between Roos and Agnes is undeniable.

Then, someone is murdered.

Poor, alone, and with a history of ‘hysterics’, Roos is the obvious culprit. With her sanity and innocence in question, she’ll have to prove who-or what-is at fault or lose everything she holds dear.

If you like Gothic horror, oh boy do I have a book for you. I’d heard so many good things about My Darling Dreadful Thing, and when I saw the amazing cover I was immediately sold. Spooky, horrifying, and unabashedly queer, My Darling Dreadful Thing is a perfect read for lovers of Gothic fiction.

The main strength of this book is the setting and haunting atmosphere. Roos, a young woman attached to a spirit companion, is a perfect Gothic heroine. She escapes life as a fake spirit medium with her horrible caretaker and is spirited away (no pun intended) to a crumbling country manor haunted by more than just the dying tuberculosis patient lurking in the wings. Her relationship with Agnes, her new wealthy benefactor and companion, blossoms slowly and gives her hope. However, we know from the interview transcripts sprinkled between chapters that Roos does not get a happy ending – a murder was committed and she is the prime suspect.

Despite the presence of very real ghosts, the true horror of this book comes from the living, particularly from the looming shadow of men from Roos and Agnes’ past. I didn’t notice until I started writing this review, but My Darling Dreadful Thing is populated only by female characters – men are almost exclusively looming shadows on the outskirts of the immediate story. I really loved the way that van Veen creates such a lush, gorgeous Gothic atmosphere of decay and danger from both supernatural and living sources.

The only downside to this book is that the pacing is a little slow. However, the ending was, for me, well worth the wait.

I’d highly recommend My Darling Dreadful Thing to readers who love Gothic fiction, sapphic love stories, and lots of spooky atmosphere. Do you daydream of lurking tragically in the shadows of a crumbling manor, haunting the halls of your home while holding a candelabra? This is the book for you, my spooky friend.