Love is a Curse
The wonder of a new Keith Stuart novel is that you never know where it will take you. This, his fourth novel, is a completely new departure for him in terms of subject matter, after stellar success with The Boy Made of Blocks and The Frequency of Us.
This is not historical fiction in the purest sense in that it’s set in the modern day, but recalls a family curse that’s been haunting its female descendants for several generations past.
As one would expect from Stuart, characterisation is the book’s number one strength: beautifully complex, nuanced characters like the protagonist Cammie, whose life you are immediately drawn into. In fact, all the main players in this saga spanning 130 years are a stellar cast of strong, resolute women. The old, decommissioned church, around which large parts of the novel are focused, is itself a wonderful character that creates an immersive and evocative sense of place.
Whilst this is a book about love in all its forms, don’t be fooled by the title into believing it to be a traditional romance. There is a darkness in the narration which gives a keen sense of suspense and tension throughout, keeping the pages turning even if the gothic tropes feel a little heavy-handed at times.
There are some neatly executed twists and turns to keep the narrative fresh through nearly 400 pages. The ending after so much intrigue is a little too saccharine, but overall, this is a well-crafted and engaging read, but perhaps one that does not provoke quite such an emotional response as Stuart’s earlier work.
