Many years ago I read the first book by this author, Lives of the Monster Dogs. I remembered thoroughly enjoying her writing and fantastical storytelling. It has been a long time since she had told the story of dogs isolated for 100 years who gained human capabilities. In her new novel, an insipid young woman marries the master's son and he's disinherited. They struggle to survive while he writes his opus on phenomena that can't be explained by science. Annie only sees his good qualities and not the absurdity of his theories. She defers to him in all things, despite her own obvious intelligence and common sense. She's haunted by her breakdown after the loss of two women from her husband's father's home where she had worked as a maid. They are invited to an exclusive retreat on an island owned by a mysterious host for Charles to finish his book. The author's writing is lyrical, detailed, and a joy to read. Finding it was based on a real eccentric quasi-scientist and satirist, Charles Fort, who wrote The Book of the Damned that was published in 1920 made it all the more delicious. I hope she doesn't wait so long to write her next one.
Quote:
"When everyone is telling your one thing, it can be hard to see something different, even if it's right in front of you.To do so means breaking with the people who make up your world, who keep you safe. It means walking outside the warm circle around the fire and into the dark unknown, the territory of the excluded."
Published: 2024 Read: March 2024 Genre: Fiction
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