The Spirit Bares Its Teeth
In White’s version of Victorian England, some people are born with violet eyes. These people can cut through the Veil, opening a portal to the realm of the spirits of the dead. Many of these violet-eyed people, called Speakers, are women who are highly sought as brides, but since this is Victorian England, they are naturally considered too mentally feeble and physically unsuited to handle being a Speaker. Female Speakers who are deemed to be unfit, or in some other way rebel against the patriarchy, are diagnosed with Veil Sickness and sent away for treatment. Such is the lot of Silas Bell, a trans boy unable to attend medical school and railing against a society that doesn’t see his true self. Silas is sent to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanatorium where other wayward females are stashed away until they are “cured,” usually by forced marriage. While there, Silas learns that Braxton’s has a horrific secret that the headmaster will guard at any cost.
This superlative novel speaks directly to the trauma of not being seen or valued as one’s authentic self. Even today, many people know the rage, fear, and despair of living in a society that would see them hidden away, eliminated, and perpetuates a very deliberate erasure of the things that hold meaning for us. White, himself a trans man, has woven a delicate web of a novel, drawing on current events and lived experience, to craft an exciting plot, complex worldbuilding, and memorable characters whom readers are bound to care about deeply. Historical details such as Victorian social mores add to an already intense and vivid story. A quick warning: there are some gory quasi-medical scenes. Maybe skim over those if you are squeamish.
I recommend this with the greatest enthusiasm.
