Book Review: The Poisoned House by Michael Ford

A Cosy Gothic Victorian Novel for the Winter

It was the cover of this book that drew me in first. Isn't it pretty?

This novel was a very easy, comfortable read. More than the plot, which is a little predictable but still entertaining, it is the atmosphere I really liked in this book. Though slow to start, the novel is immediately atmospheric as the protagonist, Abi Tamper, runs through a freezing winter night trying to escape her life at the stately Greave Hall. While one questions why a paid scullery maid would be unceremoniously dumped back in a position of employment that she so clearly doesn't want (like forced slavery), by the authorities, I choose not to question too deeply. :)

Abi is a charming character in keeping with the mellow pace of the novel, though at times I wanted to yell at her. She is one of those frustrating characters who never does what they ought to do, and frequently does what they ought not to. She also has a habit of asking irrelevant questions while failing to voice the most glaringly obvious ones. The tension, then, in this novel stems from the characters more than the events taking place. The arch nemesis, Mrs Cotton, is an matriarchal figure who doesn't disappoint in her ruthlessness and cruelty. She is one of those fabulous "omnium malorum" characters that we love to hate, suited up in her fabulous victorian gothic manner.

The ghostly elements in the novel were charming and wonderful—from a handprint on the window to a suddenly-lit candle—and captured the feeling of the time and genre very nicely.

The ending of the novel wraps up nicely, though feels a tad rushed. There are surprises though, which I was thankful for, and which kept me reading. I couldn't get through the last 30 or so pages fast enough. I was exultant with Abi's victories.

Uniquely, The Poisoned House doesn't have a romantic element linked to the main character, Abi, and this is somewhat refreshing. The romantic thread appears well into the novel and is merely as a means to explain her existence.

Though not in the same league as Jane Eyre, the 250 pages of this novel certainly have a charm worth looking at and are perfect for easy reading by the fire this winter. This novel could be read in a single sitting.