There’s nothing I like better than a ‘Big House’ story. And this is a big house story. But it’s more than that as it’s historical fiction and a gothic mystery too.
Historical fiction at its best has be authentic and convincing. There are many ways of doing that. Impeccable research that takes in the events of the period, the physical detail of the age, what people wore, how they spoke all contribute to creating a palpable landscape for the reader to navigate and believe in. Katie Lumsden’s book does exactly that.
Gothic? It’s an oft bandied term sometimes, but sometimes the true Gothic novel is elusive and can cause dissent among those who sometimes dispute whether a story is Gothic or not.
For me, it has to be dark; a big house setting lends itself to the genre. I think there has to be a hefty helping of the supernatural and haunting. Gloom, mystery and foreboding are all elements that contribute to the overall ‘gothicity’! It’s all here in The Secrets of Hartwood Hall.
There is an acknowledged debt to the Brontës, in particular Jane Eyre but this is no act of plagiarism. It’s excellent storytelling with some believable characters who all add to richness of the narrative. Plenty of love, plenty of heartbreak and some twists you didn’t see coming, well, I didn’t! I guessed at several possibilities but I didn’t quite hit the mark.
Reader, I loved it.