Coram House
Coram House centers on writer Alex Kelley, who is under contract to ghostwrite a true crime novel about a Catholic orphanage, in which finding the story within a huge mess of historical documents and coverups will be the key to the book’s success. And delving deep is Alex’s area of expertise. Grieving the recent death of her husband, she moves temporarily to Burlington, Vermont, to collaborate with retired lawyer, Alan Stedsan. As he hands over the Coram House records and his subpoena transcripts and videos from 20 years after the fact—the 1988 and ´89 interviews with survivors of abuse— Alex is uncannily aware of his patronizing demeanor, despite having hired her, and she wonders at how cooperative he will be as his congeniality dampens into irritation. One orphan who has been written out of the orphanage history becomes the focus of Alex’s search, with rumors of little Tommy having run away, set against the possibly unreliable testimony of orphan, Sarah Dale, who says she saw him drowned by a nun. As Alex delves into the mystery, she becomes obsessed with bringing Tommy’s history to light.
The narrative structure of Coram House is its strongest feature, and along with excellent writing and believable characters, the author presents a gothic vibe and sense of menace which pervades the empty building looming eerily over Lake Champlain. Divided into five sections interspersed with subpoena Q&As, Seybolt has captured exactly the right tone to tell her story, underpinning Alex’s plan for the structure of her own book. This is a novel of fiction about one of many situations where the attempts to rewrite history mirror real everyday occurrences we face today. This moving account spotlights another debut author who I hope continues to explore the fascinating historical fiction genre.
