The Victorian era is incredibly over-romanticised as a setting for historical fiction (matched only, perhaps, by the Second World War) which has often led to more than a few writers mishandling it. There's such a glut of media set in the era that the hallmarks we've come to associate with it are familiar to the point of being cliched, hackneyed even. All this is simply to illustrate that it would be an easy thing to do poorly. But despite that, something about it still grabs me – and something about this book's description did as well.
| The Fascination by Essie Fox | |
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| Category: Historical Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Stephen Leach
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| Summary: Surprisingly heartfelt and well-researched, this novel about Victorian fascination with oddities and freaks is the backdrop for an engrossing story of friendship and self-love. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 300 | Date: June 2023 |
| Publisher: Orenda | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1914585524 | |
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And it delivered on that promise. The Fascination conjures up a snapshot into the nastier side of Victorian society that many depictions often skate over – the preoccupation with oddities, deformities, and abnormality that served as entertainment for many. What I appreciated was that this was explicitly not all fictional; the author makes it clear in her notes that much of what takes place came directly from her research.
The novel centres around two sisters named Keziah and Tilly. What sets them apart is simple yet fascinating; despite being Keziah's twin, Tilly has never grown. Their father, seeing an opportunity in this, starts to use them as an oddity he can make money from as part of a travelling circus of horrors and freaks.
Into this situation comes Theo, another character caught up in the grim and slightly sordid world of peculiarities and oddities, and a connection begins to form between him and the sisters. What unfolds is surprisingly tender, without ever feeling trite or unconvincing. As ably as Fox captures that titular fascination with the strange and the grotesque, she also convincingly portrays these damaged and somewhat malformed individuals as completely human.
The Fascination features some downright nauseating imagery and some utterly bleak moments, and doesn't shy away from depicting diabolically bad behaviour. However, this only serves to make the moments of light and triumph all the more stark, and it would take a harder heart than mine not to feel moved by seeing the characters grow and struggle to find their place in the world.
This was an incredibly enjoyable read – if anything, it felt a little too brief.
One other novel set in the late 19th century I absolutely I adore is Sarah Perry's The Essex Serpent – a true masterpiece. You might also love The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson.
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