The Wicked Cometh
This is a beautiful book, inside and out. For once you can judge a book by its cover, in this case purple suede embossed in gold. I had to review it, if only to have it on my bookshelf.
Inside the covers is a classic Victorian gothic novel, although it is set in the 1830s, just before Victoria came to the throne. It has a classically macabre plot, and the settings range from the fetid slums of London’s East End to the comfortable villas of the upper middle class and the country houses of the very rich. There are the familiar gothic devices of changeling children, secret marriages, and skeletons (sometimes literally) in every cupboard, all narrated in a mix of mannered Victorian prose and vivid cockney dialogue. The two central characters develop a passionate lesbian relationship, which would not have been explicit in a Victorian novel, but we are used to that now in Victorian pastiche.
If you like Victorian gothic, you can do no better than this. Moreover, this is Laura Carlin’s debut novel, so there should be more to come. And I hope the publishers provide equally beautiful covers.
