When Scarlett marries the taxidermist Henry, the two begin experimenting with creating new Frankensteinian monstrosities as Scarlett herself becomes obsessed with the idea of altering her own body.

The Taxidermist’s Lover by Polly Hall is a bit of a mixed bag for me. The writing is deliciously gothic and atmospheric, and I wanted to love this story so badly since I adored its allusions to The Bride of Frankenstein and I'm a taxidermy collector myself.

The worst part? I was not into the romance, which is unfortunate because romance is such a heavy component of this book. Don’t get me wrong. I love dark, twisted romances like in Penny Dreadful. However, to me, Henry is not swoon-worthy and lacked any charm. He comes off simply as an emotionally abusive and jealous asshole and some of the descriptions of the sex scenes are inadvertently comical at times.

The best part? I did enjoy watching the gradual metamorphosis of Scarlett’s character and her journey of self-discovery as she reflects on her own fascination with taxidermy and the traumas of her past. Ultimately, that ending alone was enough to redeem the story for me. It was everything I wanted. The story comes together to reach a stunning and grisly climax that continues to haunt me in a way I haven’t experienced since watching Midsommar.

This was intense.
It's beautiful written. So atmospheric.
It's dark and haunting but in the most fascinating way. Loved every page.

Upon discovering The Taxidermist’s Lover on NetGalley, I thought that it sounded like a delightfully dark and creepy book about obsession and playing god - reminiscent of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I’m not entirely sure what I expected going into it, but I certainly wasn’t disappointed and I’d highly recommend it if you’re after a strange story that’ll keep you hooked from the start.

In this, we follow Scarlett as she addresses her lover, Henry - a taxidermist finding his niche within the craft. The story flips between past and present day, unfolding the descent into obsession, delirium, and the macabre. It’s a gently creeping tale filled with passion and plenty of weirdness, and I enjoyed every second of it.

The writing, too, was an absolute joy. It’s lyrical yet haunting, perfectly capturing Sacrlett’s unreliable narration and setting a foreboding tone. It captures the feel of gothic literature and even manages to evoke feelings of historical fiction - despite being set in contemporary times. It’s beautifully done and the use of second person feels so natural and compelling. I found myself sucked right into the story and was itching to read more whenever I put it down.

I did, however, manage to guess the final twist. I had several theories whilst I was reading and all felt equally likely to happen as it was just an absolute clusterf**k and nothing was certain. I say this with the utmost respect and awe because - simply put - I loved every second of it. I do wish there was a little more about Scarlett's family, but at the same time I can understand why they weren't the main feature - after all, this is The Taxidermist's Lover. The theories I had concocted along the way just felt like they fit with the vibe of this, so I would have loved it if more was explored.

But even with that minor gripe, this is still an absolutely fantastic, strange, dark, unique book. It's unlike anything I've read before, and I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled for more from Polly Hall. Highly, highly recommend if you want something out of the norm.

Wow. Just wow. This might just be my favorite read of the year.

This book follows about a year in the life of Scarlett and Henry. Henry is a taxidermist living in rural South West England who meets Scarlett one day on the beach. Scarlett is much younger than him (at one point it was mentioned she was half his age but she is very much an adult), and the two have an instant connection. Their relationship is passionate, loving, and pretty weird but the two seem to compliment each other perfectly. Throughout the year, Scarlett learns more about Henry's taxidermy creations as well as his rival, Felix. The two make a promise to be soulmates for all eternity and that promise has far-reaching consequences that neither character could foresee.

This book is categorized as horror and literary fiction which I think are the most fitting genre categories. It is a hauntingly beautiful read and a very, very slow burn on the horror side. The narrative style is from Scarlett's point of view talking to Henry which also feels like she's talking to the reader. For example, the first line in the book is "Do you remember January as I do?" which was a bit more personal than I was expecting because not many books have their whole narrative using 'you'. I quickly got used to it, but I found that this choice enabled me to get sucked right back into the book after having to put it down. This, in hand, really amped up the horror for me because I felt much more ingrained in the story than a regular 3rd person point of view - even though I know that Scarlett is talking to Henry and not me. The overall prose was beautiful to read. Hall's descriptions were very detailed and had some really interesting word choices. The prose was where the literary fiction part really shined for me. I usually don't vibe with literary fiction and find it to be very showy and boring but I think the fact that this beautiful prose was being used to describe such weird and horrific things really won me over. I've seen in some reviews people comparing this book to Frankenstein, which I can see. However, it really reminded me of The Yellow Wallpaper with the vivid descriptions that slowly get more and more disturbing as the narrative continues. I read The Yellow Wallpaper in 2005 for my freshman English class so to have this book flash me back to that story fifteen years later was pretty cool. I haven't read Catherine House, but from what I've been hearing about it, that also might be a somewhat similar vibe.

Where I think this book might lose some readers is the sort of lack of plot. I primarily read thrillers, romance, and sci-fi, most of which are very plot heavy. However, I would categorize myself as a character-driven reader and I think that's why I didn't mind that there wasn't too much going on plot-wise in this book. Like I said earlier, the whole book takes place over the course of a year in the lives of Scarlett and Henry and most chapters are just them going about their daily business. The real driving force behind the story is Scarlett and her feelings about Henry's taxidermy but that is a pretty gradual change. There's one big moment at about the 85% mark where I had to go back and re-read what happened because even that big plot point was sort of hidden in this very languid narrative. When I realized what had happened and what was about to happen, I was absolutely floored. There were aspects and characters that got brought up in the course of the book that I wish got a little more explored like Henry's rivalry with Felix, but that is really based more on just my own curiosity more so than anything else. Looking back, this book was written really tightly and had a lot of things happen but as I was reading, it didn't feel like a whole lot was going on outside of Scarlett's own mind. I think some readers will get frustrated by Scarlett having questions about certain people or certain situations and she will just drop them when Henry doesn't want to talk about them.

The horror elements in this book were perfectly done for my tastes. It swings more toward body horror in that Henry starts making weird hybrid taxidermy creatures. For most of the book (I'd say the first 75%), there isn't much horror except for a very eerie vibe and some very vivid descriptions of Scarlett and her feelings about these creatures. However, in the last 25% of the book, the horror really ramps up and was, in my opinion, perfectly done. The big moment I was talking about above was also when the body horror really took off and it reminded me a lot of the body horror in the manga Uzumaki. It was just realistic enough to really get under my skin but at least in this book, there aren't any illustrations, just the reader's own imagination. The horror really topped off at the end and I don't want to give any spoilers but the whole time reading up to it, I was thinking "oh no, oh no, this can't be where this is going, oh no, I think this book is going there, oh no, yep, it went there" and that's really the best way I can describe it.

This book is definitely not for everyone. I think the cover and title will do a good job of weeding out readers who are automatically put off by the idea of taxidermy. This is a very atmospheric, slow burn, body horror, year in the life sort of story. The prose is beautiful, haunting, and hypnotic. There isn't much in the way of plot other than it being a story of two people living together out in the countryside and how their lives change over the course of a year. This is Polly Hall's debut novel and she hit it out of the park. I'll be looking forward to reading more of her works down the road.


Overall, I absolutely loved this book. The writing style isn't my usual go-to, but it was extremely atmospheric and really pulled me into the story right away. It is a slow-burn horror novel which almost no horror at the beginning but Hall brings in the big guns at the end. I find the overall tone and story to be very similar to The Yellow Wallpaper except much more explicit and with way more body horror. I can't recommend this book more highly - it was fantastic!

272 pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and CamCat Publishing for the ARC.

Publication date is December 8, 2020.

The language is as gorgeous and atmospheric as the cover. Dark, creepy and it will keep you reading.

Gothic tales are my absolutely favorite genre, classic or modern. I love the eerie, dark and gloomy feeling of the stories. I have read a lot of books claiming to be modern Gothic, but they aren’t always true to their description. The Taxidermist’s Lover hits the genre head on in my opinion. Scarlett’s story has the perfect atmosphere of impending doom as she spirals into the madness of her obsession with Henry and his works.

The entire book is told by Scarlett and she addresses Henry the entire time. Dialogue is sparse, yet the writing flows like a beautiful work of art. The author has a way with words that will make you get lost in the pages of her book. In fact, I read through this book in two days, which is really fast for me personally.

The ending was poetic and pure. I can’t say I knew how this story would end, even though I had an inkling. Yet, I didn’t foresee it to be this emotionally charged and dark. A perfect ending for a perfect modern Gothic novel. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and CamCat Books for the review copy.

How to sum up the plot of this novel? Scarlett is in love with a taxidermist named Henry, they are married and live together in an isolated rural village in England. Her entire life revolves around Henry and one day she convinces him to start creating hybrid creatures out of his taxidermy. This begins an eerie tale of regret, loneliness and love.

I didn’t really know what to expect when I started reading this novel but was pleasantly surprised. This was such a beautifully written story that flowed well and kept me interest the entire time. The use of second person was an interesting choice and I did enjoy reading the story through Scarlett’s point of view.

My biggest issue with this is that there seemed to be a lot of build up and I felt like it was alluding to something but it never really delivered. I can’t quite put my finger on it but that aspect was disappointing.

Overall, this was a great well written and unique read that I would suggest for people to try if you like that gothic, eerie, i’m in a fever dream type of novel.Thank you NetGalley and CamCat Books for an advanced digital copy of this book, it will be released on December 8, 2020.

This review was posted on NetGalley, Goodreads, Instagram and a more detailed review is on my personal blog (chaptersxthepage.ca).

This was given to me for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you netgalley and publishers.

I give it 3.5 stars but I think I will rate it down for the purpose of this rating system.

I has beautiful writing. I enjoyed the book but it is half metaphors and analogies so I think it probably should have been shorter. This is more of a character analysis of scarlett than anything else. You can guess what happens pretty early on but that's not a bad thing I just wish there was a little more to it.

Would recommend it and I will probably reread it though audiobook later on to see what I might have missed.

Book Review for The Taxidermist's Lover by Polly Hall
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

4.5 "hyperfeminine, syrupy, oily, sensual" stars !!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Camcat Publishing for an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is to be released December 2020.

This is also my 2020 Halloween Read and boy o boy did this book deliver !!

This is a grotesque dark gothic romance that will leave your senses overstimulated, your heart pounding with both fear and passion and you will be immersed in ornate, neo-baroque poetic prose reminiscent of early Anne Rice.

Are Scarlett and Pepper the most recent incarnations of Heathcliff and Catherine ? I think perhaps, they are as they love and fuck and eat their way through a year in the tumultuous Moors of the Somerset region of England. Pepper is a taxidermist and Scarlett is his muse. Scarlett grapples with her passion for her much older lover Pepper but is also entranced by Felix, another taxidermist and her twin brother Rhett.

Through the course of a year Scarlett sinks lower and lower into lust, love, depravity and madness.
The taxidermy models become more bizarre and tortured. The past impinges on the present and Scarlett wonders if she will be able to bear her passion, obsession as well as deal with the guilt and hauntings of the past.

This book mires you in molasses, tosses you human body oils and the rain of the moors seeps into your heart and chills you to......

A top notch first novel that if not quite perfect will never quite leave me the same....

This was quite the trip of a book! It’s very dark and Gothic in that our weirdo narrator is...well... a taxidermist’s wife. But it’s not just standard taxidermy, he splices parts from different animals and creates art from it. Oh and this dude is old enough to be her grandpa...luckily we get lots of sex scenes!
This definitely took a turn about halfway through and I could see where it was going, the ending was pretty cuckoo bananas but it wasn’t really surprising to me. I kinda wish this book dove more into the horror aspect of the macabre setting, but it spends too much time as a weird love story.

𝐈 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐤. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.

In a word, this is an earthy novel, one where you can smell the dank, dark corners, musty fur, taste the blood, guts, and skin. Scarlett worships the skillful perfection Henry Royston Pepper applies to his taxidermy, each specimen in the end replicating the living, blessing creatures with life everlasting. His touches on her skin are euphoria… witness to his tender care, precision as he peels back animal skin and flays sinews it is an erotic experience that makes her very being shiver in anticipation. For Pepper, his art is deeply intimate, requiring hours of solitude, Scarlett honors his needs while longing with jealousy to be under his masterful hands herself.

The odd pair live on shifting land, atop murky, watery marshes, moors not an hour from Stonehenge, in Somerset “on borrowed ground” with buried beasts and creatures beneath their feet. This sanctuary is the perfect place to burrow into Henry and avoid the world. It is a dark, warm nest for the lovers and Scarlett’s dreams of strange creatures, ideas for Henry’s exhibits. Sometimes monstrous constructions that in nature would be abominations, defiled by the madness of human interference. She can feel their electric thoughts, but how can that be? Is she becoming undone? If only Henry could stuff her, fill the abyss inside her, home to the demons of memories. Despite the smell of death on his hands, it is not beastly, much older lover Henry who is haunted by things that hiss and growl but delicate, young Scarlet. It is only her twin brother Rhett that shares in the horror of their childhood tragedy, the truth of what happened a fracture that eviscerates them both. Where Scarlett retreats from the world, Rhett is in constant motion, unable to anchor down in place nor stick with one lover. Always they reach out to each other, but it’s not long before he is off again, running from blame he feels is his to bear. Scars on the flesh tell a story, but how it is remembered, told is hazy and could change everything.

Felix De Souza the rising sun in the dark art of taxidermy, burning the trust between Henry and Scarlett. A rival Scarlett pushes Henry towards, urging him to show his exhibits where hoards of fans come to see Felix’s “modern art” displays. His magnificence is undeniable, his persona, allure impossible for others to resist, particularly female fans. Will Henry fall in her eyes, an overlooked master, or will her infatuation remain? Never has a man consumed her every thought, like Henry has, made her body burn with the desire to merge forever but Felix… there is some strange triangle born of their meeting.

The novel creeps deeper into the throb of darkness, the fluttering of angry creatures, accompanied by a strange synergy flowing between every character. Love as mania- a hunger that peels away every bit of flesh and picks it’s teeth with your bones. It reminds me of a man named Tanzler, I’ll say no more. I loved the atmosphere, the madness of love as an insatiable hunger which at the heart is really about loneliness. Novels that connect us to nature, which is both life and death, always draws me in. What can be saved through rebirth. Gothic, dark, and more than a bit twisted- for anyone who longs for mud between their toes and the eerie cries of strange birds.

Publication Date: December 8, 2020

CamCat Publishing

CamCat Books

This is a book I don’t really have strong feelings on one way or the other. It was a quick and easy read, but not quite the gripping tale I was hoping for.

The synopsis for the novel states “A modern Gothic tale of a woman obsessed with her lover’s taxidermy creatures and haunted by her past.” I found that the novel was heavy on the taxidermy obsession but had very little to do with the main character’s haunted past. It is hinted at quite often, but never really delved into and is only lightly resolved at the end of the novel.

Overall, I think the novel can mostly just be described as “weird” fiction. There are horror elements, but the novel is by no means creepy or scary. Some parts are a little gross, but that’s really it. The novel was a little too heavy on the romance for me as well. In the beginning I was intrigued by the dark tone and juxtaposition of hybrid animal creatures and the unorthodox (and very sexual) relationship between the main character and her taxidermist husband, but it never really got off the ground. It was pretty much one note for the whole novel and in the end I didn’t feel it lived up to my expectations, given the themes. I still enjoyed the story, but nothing really wowed me.

To sum it up- too much menstrual blood and dead animals, not enough murder and psychosis. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a darker romance novel with light elements of horror.

So, I finished this one on halloween. It was my halloween read btw, and I'll confess that I don't remember making a wish when I saw this book here, I vaguely remember reading about it.

What an amazing surprise! I can't even think where to begin here. Great characters, full of flaws and weirdness, I love weird and bizarre and this book was spot on!

Scarlett (who has a twin brother named Rhett) is the lover of the taxidermist, she is much younger than him and they have such an overwhelming relationship. Scarlett is too obsessed, too jealous. He is too, but on another level.

I loved the way the story grows till the big reveal, and that we see it coming and still get surprised by it.

But the best thing for me is that it is a gothic romance with a contemporary set. I always think that is difficult to achieve but the writing is brilliant and that author did this splendidly all the way.

Definitely want to by a copy when it is released and can't recommend more.

There is something about this book that is very poetic; no it isn't poetry, but it has the same air to it. It is raw and profound, but also beautiful, raw, real, gothic, a little unnerving, creepy and sensual in how it is told. You experience the story, not just read it.

I found myself engrossed in the book, wanting more of this story and to know what happens next. I was not disappointed at all. Usually I get a little uncomfortable with explicit intimacy in books because they are distasteful, but the intimacy in this was not like that, some of it was a little rushed (but that's fine), one of the scenes was awkward and not explained, yet the scenes were well-written.

I love the way this is told, the love and reality of the relationship between the main characters of this story, the way the main character feels both in past and present. I do admit, the ending took me for a bit of a turn, I expected it to be different however it was beautifully executed.

I highly recommend this unputdownable book, I'd give a similar book or author, but this was so unique I can think of nothing else to compare it to.

Thank you so very much to Netgalley and the publisher CamCat for the eARC of The Taxidermist's Lover.

This is a weird book. Scarlett is a modern day woman married to a taxidermist, and she narrates the story addressing her husband. “You this” and “you that.”

It took me a good tenth of the book to get used to the narration. Then I was HOOKED.

PROS:
There are bizarre animal things and soul issues I hadn’t thought of before. Kudos to Hall for fresh elements in her story.

I like the way Hall can take an ordinary statement, even a trite, proverbial statement, and then twist it into something emotional and either gorgeous or horrifying. In other words, her prose is unique and wonderful.

We get deep, deep into Scarlett’s psyche, so the end of the book has a huge payoff. Some readers will not like her at all. Some readers will feel sorry for her or perhaps admire her creativity. It doesn’t matter because we are there inside Scarlett’s head when the story wraps up, so it’s a satisfying and powerful ending.

CONS:
Not a con, just a heads up. This is a slower-paced book. Literary, meandering at times, so if you like fast-action plots, perhaps this is not the book for you. I think The Taxidermist’s Lover has the pacing and the vibe of The Unsuitable by Molly Pohlig, so if you liked Pohlig’s book I think you’d like Hall’s book.

Readers who are offended by taxidermy might be offended by the book, but the book isn’t pro-taxidermy. Preserving dead animals is just a vehicle for the theme and plot.

At first I was confused as to HOW the end came about, but no stars off because by the very end everything is explained. Besides, the important parts of the ending (the who and the why) were never unclear.

OVERALL:
Brilliant, gross, disturbing, and sophisticated with lots of food-for-thought about the nature of animals and people and devotion.

What an incredibly dark and twisted book this is - I loved it. The writing is exquisite, so lyrical and descriptive. It pulls you in so much to this eerie and haunting world it can be difficult to adjust back to the real world - it packs that much of a punch.

There's a lot to love in the writing of this book but be warned the topics and tropes are darker than dark. It's the kind of book that will utterly drain you but I never think of that as a fault. It's an experience more than a book you just read for entertainment.

A stunning, atmospheric, and gothic story about a woman named Scarlett who is obsessed with her lover’s taxidermy. This story is haunting and WEIRD. The writing is atmospheric and gorgeous but the plot itself had me going “huh”. Scarlett is married to Henry, they fall in love instantly, and Scarlett is obsessed with Henry’s taxidermy work. A very weird and unhealthy obsession....to go along with her traumatized childhood and her weird relationship with her twin brother Rhett. All of Scarlett’s relationships are.... odd to say the least. The story builds and by the end you will not believe it the twist that happens but you know all along that it was bound to end up that way... (I can’t believe the author went there but SHE DID) and oh boy does this book end on a BANGER. I cannot get over the ending and I am still in awe... I just.... if you want a gothic story with taxidermy, weird obsessions and relationships, this is for you.

*Thank you Netgalley and CamCat Publishing for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I don’t know how to honestly review this book.

It was well written, it was poetic and it was disturbing and it really got into your core.

But

It was so well write in and disturbing that I had to literally take a shower after reading because I felt grimy and gross after reading such a book. Not a lot of books do that, only a select few like “Eileen” which has the same amount of grim that this book does.

I don’t know if I liked it but I certainly won’t forget it.

This is definitely a much more difficult read than I usually for. It's written like one long essay, the dialogue is scarce, if any. It's a long internal diatribe of Scarlett, a young woman who has always been fascinated by the idea of taxidermy. Her childood habit of carrying around and keeping dead animals is extremely disconcerting and her mother vocalises that. The same obsession lends itself majorly to her relationship ( and subsequent marriage) to an older taxidermist. As his creations get more bizarre and unnatural, there is a parallel breakdown of her world and everything begins to unravel for her.

The story is very beautifully written. It's flows very simply, but there is so much depth and meaning in the undercurrents of the story. Her unique affinity for the taxidermy animals, the eroticism of the whole process ( strange but definitely a huge part of her relation with her husband) makes it a truly unique read. It's a story that pushes you, because you're constantly chasing a storyline that doesn't explain itself fully. I was always a little confused and always very intrigued. I read it in one go, and while it's not my favourite book - i might be tempted to go back and re-read it because it's one of those stories that will give you something different with every read.

3.5 stars.