Dear TBR,
If you follow your favorite authors on social media, you’ll occasionally get previews of their latest books. I follow Ursula Vernon/T. Kingfisher on various platforms as a superfan from years ago, and so I know that her forays into horror are Not Meant For Me. I mean, the titles – What Moves the Dead – don’t wanna know – What Feasts at Night – ditto – The Twisted Ones — definitely NOT for me, a non-lover of horror. Ursula very carefully lets us know which books we squeamish ones might enjoy (try Nettle & Bone, which won the Hugo a couple years back – scary, but hot horror… well… horrible characters but not literary definition horror, anyway), but… this autumntide, as I’m working hard to overcome my general squeamishness for anxiety-producing fiction, I thought I’d give her latest a shot. BookPage calls it “Regency-fantasy-horror hybrid only T. Kingfisher could write,” and I am a sucker for competently presented faux Regency-fantasy hybrids. I mean, exquisitely ridiculous novels of manners with the addition of fairytale creatures? Yes, please.
Plus, there was the matter of The Horse. Fans of T. Kingfisher repeatedly said, “Aaaah! The horse!” on social media, with no hint as to what that meant. As more and more people read the book, the cries of “Aaaah! The horse!” rose ever higher. And now, I, too, can say, “Aaaah! That HORSE!” Ugh. The horse is a lot. But, I digress —
Cornelia and her mother are going to visit a new …benefactor. That’s the euphemistic name Cornelia’s mother gives to the men by whom she makes her dubious living, “benefactors.” She makes them love her – somehow, though Cornelia doesn’t want to think about that too closely – and they keep Cornelia’s mother in rent money and groceries. It’s not enough, of course; Cornelia’s mother Deserves More – and yes, she’s the sort who thinks in capitals about things – but she assures Cornelia that Someday she will Have What Is Due Her – and someday, Cornelia will marry a wealthy man and all of their troubles will be at an end.
As Cornelia is all of fourteen, this day is not exactly directly at hand, and honestly, Cornelia’s only job, when her mother launches off into one of her diatribes, is to nod. Her mother doesn’t actually want a reply. Her mother only wants strict obedience – open doors, no secrets, no privacy. She wants Cornelia cleaning and cooking and taking care of them both without a word, because and the consequences of disobeying – whether by look, blink, or some errant breath that even Cornelia doesn’t know she breathed – the consequences are wretched and too horrible to be borne. Except for when she rides out on their milky white horse – the one luxury Cornelia enjoys, the one time she allows herself to weep and rage – Cornelia obeys with all her heart, because she is afraid. Cornelia is always afraid – always. And now they are going to meet a new benefactor, and stay in his fancy manor, and Cornelia is more afraid than ever. She’s pretending to be seventeen – as her mother expects. She’s also supposed to be pretending not to notice that they somehow have a new carriage that once belonged to the neighbor, and she’s pretending to know what to do with servants and fine clothing, and kind people.
Cornelia has never had anything like the life she’s pretending to know just now. She’s afraid she’s going to mess up her mother’s plans… but she’s more afraid of what will happen if her mother’s plans go forward…
None of this sounds very horrible, does it? It isn’t. When it comes to horror the way T. Kingfisher writes it, sometimes the most horror-inducing thing is Other People. Not ghosts and weird junk. People. (This is reflective of Real Life.)
One thing that makes the main character, Cornelia, relatable is just how hard she tries to … get by. Her mother is capital ‘D’ difficult, and Cornelia Knows Better than to upset her, but try she might, Upset Happens. People raised by difficult parents know this story well, and I found myself just wanting to hug poor Cornelia – or hide with her in the wardrobe – as she remains well-intentioned and kind, despite how her mother would otherwise have had her be. Another thing that makes Cornelia’s story bearable is how her mother believes Cornelia to be an extension of her own self. She is genuinely narcissistic and self-absorbed, and the reader gleefully knows that, despite her seemingly all-knowing, all-seeing eye, this belief is going to be her downfall. And indeed, it is! T. Kingfisher’s latest is an absolute delight and a comfort read that manages to be both horrible and heart-achingly kind. There are middle-aged people who know what it is to be conflicted and yet love, there are smart servants, a delightful butler, a truly grievous loss and lots of humor. And, it has … A Horse.
As I shall tell you no more, I do hope you pick it up.
Fresh onto the TBR:
- Ticket Out, Michelle Diener
- The Good and the Green, Amy Yorke
- I Ran Away to Evil: A Cozy LitRPG Rom-Com, Mystic Neptune
Until the next book, 📖
Still A Constant Reader
