Review by Booklist Review
A wealthy, young, successful author of gothic romances, Judith nonetheless suffers from low self-esteem and loneliness due to a lifetime of emotional abuse and neglect from her family. Enter Gavin Garnet, a mysterious, virile man who literally sweeps her off her feet into a torrid romance straight from her novels. However, once they are married and settled into their castle, he becomes emotionally unavailable, cycling among veiled contempt, oblique threats, overt violence, and performative romance. Judith copes with her confusion, hurt, and fear by retreating into a fantasy world. As reality and fiction blur, Judith must choose between her dream life and her safety. This gothic thriller cheekily transports readers to a bygone era by drawing heavily upon classic horror movies and literature, utilizing highly stylized language, tropes, and dated gender roles while generating conversation regarding contemporary issues of consent, agency, domestic abuse, and gaslighting. The author contextualizes the self-sabotage that perpetuates toxic relationships, and fans of the author's film The Love Witch (2016) will enjoy this gothic novel.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Filmmaker Biller debuts with an uninspired homage to Gothic fiction. Judith Moore, a young and successful mystery writer, lives "physically" in present-day London but "mentally" in fairy tales, 18th- and 19th-century novels, and old movies. She's swept away by Byronic hero Gavin Garnet, who lavishes her with attention when they meet at a party. They marry quickly and, at his insistence, move into a Gothic revival castle, Manderfield, in which many a young bride has perished under unusual circumstances. When secrets about Gavin's romantic past and financial situation come to light, raising questions about his purchase of Manderfield, Judith is torn between her desire for her brutish husband and her fear of his violent rages. There are further signs that Gavin is bad news, like when he slices open a rabbit and guzzles its blood, though he does insist on some degree of moderation: "If you have too much blood all you can think about is getting more blood, and that's not healthy." It's a good line, but more often the writing feels flat ("They rolled around on the bed, madly in love, making out like horny teenagers"), especially when compared with Biller's visually stunning movies, such as The Love Witch. There's great material for a film, but as a novel, this falls short. (Oct.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A gothic novelist becomes the heroine of the most harrowing romance: her own. Filmmaker Biller's debut novel is a feminist update of a classic gothic novel. The protagonist, Judith Moore, is a 26-year-old English virgin, a successful author, and a deeply religious and romantic woman. When she meets Gavin Garnet, the son of a baron, she literally swoons. Almost instantly, she finds herself under his spell and submitting to him in ways she never has to a man before. During their whirlwind affair, she tells him about her childhood, which was full of money but not love, and how she has always lived in the shadow of her beautiful sister. Judith shares her entire life with him--her secrets, desires, values--but Gavin doesn't reciprocate: "[A] wall went up in his eyes when she asked him certain questions, like a drawbridge rising up over the moat of a stone castle, barricading it beyond reach." When the two marry and move into a remote castle, Judith begins to see cracks in the facade of her husband and their marriage--and she struggles to trust him, but more importantly she struggles to trust herself. Though she's a gothic novelist, Judith writes off (deliberately or not) all the red flags she sees: the insults, anger, gaslighting, secrecy, and lies. Biller makes good use of narrative tropes and comparisons to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre and the French fairytale "Bluebeard," about a wealthy man who murders his wives. Though the story is set in the present day, Biller paints a beautifully creepy atmosphere full of billowy dresses, darkened woods, burning candles, and castle corridors full of ghosts and secrets. The novel's timeless quality helps drive home the unending nature of male violence against women. Judith's endless gaslighting and torture make the novel feel oppressive and exhausting at times, but Biller's use of dark humor, melodrama, and exaggerated archetypes help temper the tone. A campy, gothic debut that shines a light on all the ways men can hurt women. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
