The Orphan of Cemetery Hill
Orphans Alice and Tabby flee to Boston in 1844 to escape their aunt and uncle, charlatans who prey on the bereaved, claiming to be able to contact the spirits of the dead. While the aunt and uncle are true hucksters, Tabby is not. Ten-year-old Tabby has a gift, or perhaps a curse, of being able to communicate with the recently dead. When Tabby is separated from Alice, she finds refuge in old cemetery, where she has a chance meeting with an older boy “—no, this young man.”
The story continues twelve years later: Tabby is now twenty-two, works with her adoptive father, Eli, the cemetery’s caretaker, and has managed to keep her gift a secret. After a series of grave robberies, Tabby finds herself, and the young man she met years ago, caught in the middle of a deadly plot of men who call themselves “Resurrection Men.” Tabby must choose whether or not to use her gift to save herself, the cemetery, and the man she loves.
The gothic setting of this book is exquisite. One can feel themselves in the dark old cemetery and walking the streets of 19th-century Boston. The atmosphere is ripe for a character who can speak with the dead. The plot is exciting, building on the séance craze of the times. What is lacking, however, is belief in the romance. Caleb Bishop is a privileged spoiled brat. No doubt, likeable female characters fall for unlikeable male characters all the time, but it feels like a trope, especially since his epiphany is not shown in scene. The racially diverse characters add depth to the story, and the lesbian character, a welcome addition to a historical novel, is presented subtly, which certainly fits the times.
