The Darlings of the Asylum
by Noel O’Reilly (HQ, £16.99)
AFTER THE AUTUMN RUSH, December is usually what’s described as a “quiet” (ie, “rubbish”) month for new novels. Somehow, though, The Darlings of the Asylum must have slipped through the net, because this a cracking piece of gothic fiction.
The narrator is 23-year-old Violet, a talented artist who dreams of making her own way in the world. The trouble is that it’s 1886, when such dreams are seen not merely as selfish and unladylike, but as possible evidence of insanity. After all, her mother has lined up a nice rich man called Felix for her to marry. Unfortunately, Violet has taken a shine to the local bohemian Mr Lilley, whose racy ideas cause her to suddenly (and, let’s face it, Freudianly) start painting “flowers with gaping ravenous mouths and upright poking stamens”.
Esta historia es de la edición December 2022 de Reader's Digest UK.
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Esta historia es de la edición December 2022 de Reader's Digest UK.
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