The Infamous Gilberts
There is a special delight in reading an author’s debut novel, but even more so when it delivers on its promise to tell a wholly captivating story. Angela Tomaski’s The Infamous Gilberts centers around the Gilbert family of England and their beloved Gothic mansion, Thornwalk, from the eve of World War II up until the early 2000s.
We come to know Thornwalk intimately thanks to our narrator, Maximus, who tells the story of the five Gilbert children—Hugo, Jeremy, Lydia, Rosalind, and Annabel—while saying his goodbyes to the house, recently sold to be renovated as a luxury hotel. As Maximus guides us through the rooms of this labyrinthine house and around the surrounding grounds, he shares the siblings’ stories and secrets, whether it be a lone pinecone forgotten under a bed, a hayloft with young love imprinted upon its floors, or the broken vent which allowed for the perfect eavesdropping spot. The world’s changes impact each member of the Gilbert family in different and sometimes terrible ways, pushing them together at one moment, and then tearing them apart the next.
Tomaski artfully blends these tales into one seamless narrative. In telling the Gilberts’ story, she simultaneously shows the sweeping changes taking place in England during the tumultuous 20th century. Moments of tenderness and joy mix with the terrible and cruel, and Tomaski does not shy away from difficult topics, but handles them with aplomb and grace. The reader comes to intimately know these five individuals and cannot help but care deeply about each of their trajectories in life. This is a wonderful debut novel, one that was an absolute pleasure to read. Highly recommended.
