{"id":753,"date":"2019-02-13T11:02:12","date_gmt":"2019-02-13T11:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hebulstrode.co.uk\/?p=753"},"modified":"2019-02-13T12:04:53","modified_gmt":"2019-02-13T12:04:53","slug":"is-alison-littlewood-the-new-queen-of-the-yorkshire-gothic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hebulstrode.co.uk\/?p=753","title":{"rendered":"Is Alison Littlewood the New Queen of the Yorkshire Gothic?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Having just read The Crow Garden<\/em><\/a>, an enchanted brew of mesmerism, madness and the parting of the veil, I am left pondering the following question: is Alison Littlewood the new Queen of the Yorkshire Gothic? Could Kate Bush one day find herself penning, and performing, another wild and windy Yorkshire ditty by way of tribute? We shall have to see. One thing, however, is for certain: the author has found her forte in the world of the Victorian Gothic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In mood and tone, this novel shares much in common with Littlewood\u2019s previous book, The Hidden People<\/em><\/a>, in which another young male London protagonist finds himself lost amongst the darkness of rural Yorkshire. This time, however, the young Victorian gentleman in question does not quite find himself away with the fairies, although he too is possessed of an equally powerful, and destructive, id\u00e9e fixe. Also, as with The Hidden People<\/em><\/a>, the figure of an alluring and yet unobtainable woman stands at the heart of this story. She is an enigma, and she not only holds Nathaniel Kerner in her thrall, but the reader too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\u00e9ances, abduction, mesmerism and hysteria make for a heady concoction, served up in a dense descriptive prose, very much in keeping with the time in which the novel is set: the 1850s. It is something to be savoured, rather than rushed, but if a pacey read should be what you\u2019re looking for, this is not a book for you. There is a certain sickening twist near the end of this tale which made me almost wish to gag. I really didn\u2019t see it coming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I shall say no more, for to do so\nwould risk spoiling the shocks, and surprises, that lie within. The question\nis, will you dare take a step inside the doors of Crakethorne Asylum? Doctor\nChettle awaits, with his calipers and a curious gaze. Has no one previously\nmade mention of what a fascinating skull you possess?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Crow Garden<\/em> may be viewed and purchased here<\/a>. Readers might also find the following Yorkshire-set Edwardian occult mystery to their taste: Upon Barden Moor<\/em><\/a>.  <\/p>\n

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