With much of today’s contemporary fiction I get the feeling that authors are keen to make some kind of point, topically maybe, retrospectively even and to be seen as P.C., woke and all the epithets that contribute to an enlightened individual with their finger on the pulse. I’m not intending to suggest that is a bad thing, far from it, no, issues need to be highlighted and dissected and thrust into a broader consciousness. But sometimes it is so refreshing to “just“ read a story. Something that has a beginning, a middle and an end. Charles Lambert is a consummate storyteller and his book is nigh on perfect as an example of a story told well.
‘On a grey November evening in Victorian London, Edward Monteith, a moneyed but listless young man, stokes the fire at his local gentleman’s club, listening to its members: scientist, explorers and armchair philosophers discussing the supernatural experiences and the theories of life after death. Edward is taken under the wing of some sceptics and attends a supposed seance where he is captivated by beautiful young woman selling flowers outside the theatre. What follows is a quintessential Gothic novel, a ghost story, and an uncanny love story.’
Gothic is a term often bandied today when a work of historical fiction borders even slightly on the dark or supernatural. Some stories carry few of the elements but it requires sustained thematic understanding to produce a truly Gothic novel. Often it isn’t really a Gothic novel. Wikipedia defines Gothic fiction thus -
‘Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of early Gothic novels. The first work to call itself Gothic was Horace Walpole's 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, later subtitled "A Gothic Story". Subsequent 18th century contributors included Clara Reeve, Ann Radcliffe, William Thomas Beckford and Matthew Lewis. The Gothic influence continued into the early 19th century, works by the Romantic poets, and novelists such as Mary Shelley, Walter Scott and E. T. A. Hoffmann frequently drew upon gothic motifs in their works. The early Victorian period continued the use of gothic, in novels by Charles Dickens and the Brontë sisters, as well as works by the American writers Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Later prominent works were Dracula by Bram Stoker, Richard Marsh's The Beetle and Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Twentieth-century contributors include Daphne du Maurier, Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, Anne Rice and Toni Morrison.’
I think we can add Charles Lambert to the 21st-century list of Gothic novelists! Dark and atmospheric Lambert has created an unsettling and at times horrific portrayal of Victorian supernature. The research is impeccable but also the understanding of the value and protocols of that society shown through the excellent characterisations enhance the whole experience. At times it was as if Charles Dickens was alive and well and being channelled through Lambert! Descriptions of Newgate and graveyards will have you thinking Great Expectations.
Ghost stories and love stories are often a match made in heaven, (or maybe not if you’re the ghost trapped between two worlds) and Lambert fuses the two to strike a perfect balance. Effortlessly you are transported back to Victorian streets, dark, poor illuminated by the gas lights. You can smell the narrow alleys of Whitechapel and it’s almost a relief to follow Edward to his home and his more privileged lifestyle. I couldn’t help liking young Edward. His failing was that he fell in love, and we’ve all done that haven’t we? But those of us reading this won’t have done it in Victorian London where class and morality played a large part in determining whether a relationship was suitable or not. I’m loathe to detail the plot for one of the joys of reading this book was seeing how it all unfolded in front of me.
It’s an excellent narrative, moving forward all the time, full of detail, full of intrigue,chilling and spine tingling without being under the covers terrifying. Again Lambert has achieved such a pleasing balance.
I am indebted to Gallic books for a proof of this thoroughly entertaining and satisfying work.
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