The Thirteenth Tale--Diane Setterfield

Genre: Gothic Fiction
Year Published: 2006
Pages: 406
Rating: 5/5

Oh how I loved this book! I was swept away by Setterfield's version of gothic fiction. For days my vision was clouded by dank moors and hidden children, and a dark, doomed, looming house. This was one of those books that you wish would never end even as you zoom toward the finish to find out what happens.

The book is a story within a story. A biographer named Margaret Lea who lives above her father's bookstore and grapples with the fact that she is a single twin whose sister died at birth is contacted by a well-known author, Vida Winter. Ms. Winter is known not only for her books, but for the fact that she has never disclosed the truth about herself to any biographer. Now, she wants that truth told, and Margaret is the person she wishes to tell it to.

Margaret moves into Ms. Winter's house on the moors, and becomes immersed in her story. I will give away nothing, but I will tell you that the story includes insanity, twins, abandoned children, incest, a house falling into disrepair, a governess, a fire, an asylum, and many, many references to the novel Jane Eyre.

I didn't think I would like this book, but it was one of my favorite reads of the year. So even if you think it doesn't sound like your thing, I'd advise you to give it a shot.

Book-a-week # 51
Challenge/s: RIP III