Now this is a real gothic sapphic novel. It doesn’t just have gothic packaging (crumbling house, sexually repressed women, etc) but substantial, meaty, juicy ambiguity and a true-blue lesbian protagonist. Not to mention, postcolonial critique that I will admit is out of place in a novel that mimics the 20th century form (too much self-awareness), but which I found nevertheless charming. We’ll never go back to the past, so why bother even trying to create an ‘authentic’ representation? I think we should just play with what we have and retroactively lend a voice to the minorities from that time. It’s not like their perspectives were given much thought or documentation in the annals of literature.

Having just read ‘The Girl and the Ghost’ by Hanna Alkaf, I was given whiplash by this novel’s version of a girl and her ghost. Roos Beckman has spent all 21 years of her life knowing nothing but starvation, exploitation, and abuse by her guardian, a woman who makes a living by pretending to be a spirit medium. Roos is the key to her success as Roos has a real spirit-companion who can crawl into her mouth and possess her, lending her supernatural strength and stamina. She was bound to this spirit when she was a small child and accidentally flicked some blood onto the creature. Since then, this spirit has been her protector and only friend. Interestingly, the language used suggests a bond that borders on romantic—at the time, Ruth says, “You need never be alone again now, Roos. You have named me and let me drink from you. We are wedded to each other now, you and I. You’re my helpmeet and yokemate, and I am yours. I shall keep you safe.” Roos also describes Ruth’s actions as finding a someone “to love and hold.” Definitely sapphic, no matter how you spin it.

Roos recounts her story to a Doctor Montague, whose job is to assess whether or not she can be deemed mentally fit to be charged for murder of Agnes, fifteen years older than Roos, recently widowed, and of Javanese descent (she identifies as Indo). Agnes took a liking to Roos and took her in because Agnes also has a spirit-companion, whom she named Peter Quint (as in, from Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw). The way both Roos and Agnes love their spirit-companions is beyond rationality, possibly manic, almost as if these spirits were vital parts of themselves and they could not carrying on living without them. I guess if you really wanted to, you could say that it’s the manifestation of the split between the Ego and Id, similar to another classic like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Of course, you can also agree with Montague/ the rest of society and see them as figments of a very lonely imagination. What’s attractive about this story is that you’re invited to renounce the safe and conventional in exchange for the improbable and extraordinary.

Montague’s reports of their sessions intersperse Roos’ narrative and show us how she responds to his attempts to pick apart her recount. Montague’s questions often reek of misogyny as he seems to be trying to trick her into revealing her insanity or deviance and his psychoanalytical influences lack any subtlety. For example, he asks Roos if being possessed by Ruth “brings [her] pleasure” or “arouses [her].” His reasoning is that she used sexual imagery:

“Possession as penetration. The salty taste as you swallow her down, the need to submit or else bleed and be in pain . . . Any psychoanalyst would conclude that Ruth is your love object and you wish to have intercourse with her, to put it bluntly.”

The funny thing is that Roos and Ruth are both women, or at least coded as women, and Roos especially has only ever had any kind of physical reaction to Agnes, never a man, but Montague is unable to envision love between women as anything more than a warped expression of heterosexuality. There is absolutely nothing remotely heterosexual between Roos’ bond with either Ruth or Agnes. He is simply projecting a tired fantasy of the hysterical woman seeking the phallus onto her.

We come to see Roos’ strength of will when she repeatedly resists these attempts to pigeonhole her into the Mad Repressed Lesbian box. She also accuses Montague of deliberately sexualising her words and turning his accusations against him: "It’s nothing like that, and you’ve a filthy mind for thinking it could be . . . Would you have intercourse with your mother, Doctor? Or with your sibling?” If Montague can certify that Roos is schizophrenic, she will be acquitted, but if he finds out that she is merely a consummate liar, she will stand trial for murder.

The twist, when it comes, brings to mind the incestuous undertones of 18th century gothic fiction (‘Castle of Otranto’, I’m looking at you) and which was recently made lurid in Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Crimson Peak.’ I do think it possible to read incest and inbreeding as metaphors for racism and exclusionary politics—these white people want so badly to consolidate power (and in this case, land rights/ property/ the right to existence) that they end up imploding. Willemijn exemplifies this as the infant she conceived with her own brother dies within mere hours, after which she requires a hysterectomy that renders her barren and the damage from which ensures she is terminally ill.

The key question in this novel is the same as in Henry James’ work: so are the ghosts real or not?

Montague seems to think that they are definitely the result of untreated psychosis. Even when Roos says that Willemijn also saw her brother’s ghost, Montague believes that they were simply having a shared hallucination since Willemijn was doped up on morphine and the other two were crazy to begin with. There is some evidence to support this: when Agnes and Roos take medication, they become unable to see their spirit-companions anymore. This does suggest that the spirits never existed in the first place. Roos rebuts this by saying that there are pills that can make you see spirits, so pills making you unsee them does not prove their non-existence.

At the same time, there is also evidence to suggest the contrary. A lot of stuff happened that does not seem possible without supernatural help. We’re talking about three women, one of which is a skinny waif, one is middle-aged, and one is one cough away from dying from late-stage tuberculosis. How would they be able to move so many life-sized stone statues across the estate grounds all by themselves? How would any of them be able to break off pieces of it and throw them through the windows? Lastly, after Roos is the last one standing, how would she have the strength to transport Agnes’ corpse all the way across the forest to the bog? We read previously that Agnes is much taller than her and her head only comes up to Agnes’ sternum. There is no way Roos can carry her fresh corpse over such a long distance by herself.

The ending was more forgiving than I had expected and I was relieved to find out that Montague was not a horrible person. He really wants his patients to just be able to support themselves and live an okay life, and to that end, he gave Roos employment and allows her to keep her ghost, which in his books, is to allow her to continue to be schizophrenic and rely on her delusional coping mechanism without forcing treatment on her. I found this ending way more radical than anything else in the novel because it centred on acceptance. Not incarceration, not lobotomy, but acceptance of her condition and helping her integrate into larger society. This in turn allows Roos to continue loving Agnes into re-existence. Even if it’s not real, it’s real to Roos, and that’s all that matters.

"My Darling Dreadful Thing" delicately navigates the tumultuous journey of a young, sheltered girl grappling with both the tangible and ethereal realms. In a narrative adorned with eloquent prose, the author intricately weaves themes of love, loss, and the profound essence of human connection. Through the lens of the protagonist's ability to see spirits as companions, the story transcends mere paranormality, delving into the depths of emotional resilience and the transformative power of empathy. Each page resonates with a haunting beauty, inviting readers to immerse themselves in a world where the boundaries between the seen and unseen blur, ultimately revealing the universal truths that bind us all. A captivating read that lingers in the heart long after the final page is turned.

This book was a really solid read and a strong debut novel and I will definitely have my eye on this author moving forward.

I really enjoyed the inter-character relationships going on in this book and I really loved the world-building. You can tell that the author really took time to develop the relationships in this book, especially those between Roos and Ruth and between Roos and Agnes. The ghost/spirit lore established in this book was so intriguing and unique. The level of intricacy in this lore of relating not only how someone dies, but where their body resides to how a spirit comes to be and has to be reawakened was really brilliantly done.

As typically expected when reading a debut novel, there were some craft issues with this book. While I did really love the inter-character relationships in this book, I did think that the character development of singular characters could have been explored more. I also thought that the pacing of this book was a bit off, this book felt very slow and drawn out for the level of plot and character development that were happening within this book, but I think learning when to draw out or condense parts of a story typically come with practice so I'm usually a little more forgiving of debut authors on pacing. My biggest complaint about this book is that even though it was a horror novel and there was a level of anticipation as certain points, I felt that this book was greatly lacking in suspense. For me, the interview framing device was taking suspense out of this story rather than adding to it and I wish that the framing had been done a little differently so that I still felt suspense going through this story.

Overall, this was a very strong debut and the character relationships and lore building generally outweighed the craft issues for me.

Wow...what a beautifully haunting, gothic story. I honestly didn't know what to expect with this book but I loved it! Roos is a young woman who has been at the mercy of "mama" who forces her to conduct seances which aren't real. The only thing that is real, at least to Roos, is the spirit named Ruth that has attached to her.
One day Roos life changes when she meets a widow named Agnes. Her life takes a drastic turn once she goes to live with Agnes. As it turns out, she and Agnes have a lot in common!
I loved the chilling and haunting way this book was written. The story is told from Roos POV but towards the end of some chapters there are some transcripts of the psychiatric sessions that Roos attends. This makes you look at the story from a different perspective but really adds to the story.
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone who likes a chilling and haunting gothic novel. Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press. All opinions are my own.

What a lovely story. It’s both lovely and gruesome which most true gothic tales are, and it really evokes a lot of feelings in the reader. I was hooked with this story of seances and ghosts, and treated to a love story and a revenge tale as well. What a fantastic way to weave together all of these points. It’s got medical drama, and legal drama as well. I didn’t know you could put so much into a book but I devoured every page. This doesn’t come out for a little bit but when it does, if you like true gothic novels, check it out. It’s worth it.

4.5 rounded up to 5.

I enjoyed this title greatly and the setting. I found the character a tragic individual and this is a dark themed book. This is great book for anyone looking for something darker with gothic horror.

I’ve always wanted a book about a rotting imaginary friend and this book certainly delivered. I LOVED it!!

My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen
Pub Date: May 14, 2024

Rating: 2.5 stars
Genre: Gothic Horror
I was so intrigued by this book when I heard about it. A dark gothic tale with ghosts?! You are speaking my language. Sadly, this missed the mark for me.

When I hear horror and ghosts, I have certain expectations. I was thinking spooky, eerie, scary. What I got was a slow burn coming of age story that left me bored to tears.

Don’t get me wrong, the story was very well written and the author definitely had a way with description that would turn your stomach. It was just such a slog to read that I also had a hard time connecting or caring about the characters.

I also prefer adult fiction and this felt really YA to me. Overall, this is a pass for me.

Unfortunately I am not the right audience for this book, so I ended up DNF-ing at about 20%. From the little I read, it was interesting, I just wasn’t comfortable reading about spirits.

Thank you to Poised Pen Press and Netgalley @Netgalley for the e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

Unofficial Summary:
Roos has a spirit companion only she can see, that is until a wealthy young widow attends a séance and asks Roos to come live with her. Turns our Agness Knoop also has a spirit companion. The manor they live in is unsettling, but the attraction between Roos and Agness is palpable.

So how does someone end up dead? And is a spirit the culprit? Doctor Montague is determined to find out.

Review:
This is one of my favorite gothic books in a long time. Usually, gothic books tend to be so slow paced that I get a little bored in the process despite loving them, but that was not the case here. The pacing on this book was wonderful and carried on with a nice clip that held my interest throughout and propelled me through the pages nicely. Roos was a fascinating character and I love how we got to know her and really see her character grow over the course of the book. Though I do think that more could have happened with her, and she did do some things I found disappointing, I still really enjoyed her as a character. The side characters were also fun and really added depth to the story. Mrs. Knoop’s sister-in-law was quite the character and sure did like to stir the pot. The sapphic element was light, and left to the reader, but I enjoyed how it was done. It felt very true to the time. I also appreciated the inclusion of the doctor’s sessions with Roos. It was a fun way to unravel what had happened with Mrs. K.

This was a wonderfully written gothic tale and I couldn’t believe it was a debut. It was fantastic.

Incredible! I could not put this book down! I really appreciate the amount of detail that went into the story line, it was a great visualizer in making the story come to life! Also, who doesn’t love a good story about ghosts?

Strange, spooky, and sapphic: should be a recipe for deliciousness, no? This book gets points for a very unique approach to hauntings, and contains several scenes so vivid and unusual that I know I won't forget them. We have some interesting relationships in here, and well-drawn settings.

So the ingredients are good. It's the recipe, then, that didn't do it for me - the pacing was glacial, the romance felt tacked-on, and the setting was SO endlessly frustrating. This book felt, from beginning to end, like it was set in the midst of the Victorian spiritualism era, from the seances to the crumbling gothic manor, but it was somehow, bafflingly, meant to be taking place in the 1940s/50s. This threw me off EVERY time, and it just wasn't necessary; I'm assuming this time period was meant to justify the inclusion of scenes where the main character is getting psychoanalized, but with the most minor of tweaks this could have been adjusted and would have made a hell of a lot more sense.

Still, I won't forget Ruth and Peter, my favorite ghosts in the long while. Worth the read for a truly different take on ghosts.

My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is so well written. It is about a young woman, Roos, and her spirit companion, Ruth. It is a good story, gothic and atmospheric, set in the 1950s in postwar Netherlands. This is a debut novel, and I look forward to reading more from this author. Recommended.

Roos is the only one that can see Ruth, which is fine because Ruth is dead and sort of terrifying having been tortured and murdered a long time ago. The problem is that Roos mother wants to exploit their bond by using her as a medium who can supposedly become possessed by the souls of the recently dead for anyone willing to pay to have an encounter with their dearly departed. Ruth, fiercely protective of Roos, persuades her to become wealthy Agnes’s companion to escape her life as her mother’s slave, but now after finding her soulmate and happily ever after, Roos finds herself on trial for murder and at the hands of a doctor who is determined to prove she is mentally unstable and that Ruth doesn’t exist. Twisting, turning thrills, impossible to put down, I loved this book! It was terribly romantic and tragic and heartbreaking and wonderful all at once.

My Darling Dreadful Things
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off, what a beautiful cover! I really enjoyed the writing style and the Case Episode portions of the book but ultimately it wasn’t for me. It is a very slow sapphire gothic horror and I am not a slow burn girlie. The concept of this book was good, I just didn’t end up connecting with the characters or story like I had hoped. I would still recommend this and be interested in checking out more books by this author!

Thank you Netgalley, publisher Poisoned Pen Press, and author Johanna Van Veen for providing an ARC in exchange for a review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 stars

I really wanted to like this book, everything about it was appealing to me (a sapphic dark gothic tale? Sounds absolutely perfect!), but for some unknown reason, this wasn’t the book for me. By no means I’m saying the book is bad, quite the opposite: the writing was well executed, I always enjoy an unreliable narrator, and I thought the combination of narrative and the excerpts of the case studies was pretty unique. However, halfway through the book I grew bored, and I couldn’t bring myself to care for the characters. Maybe I’ll give it another try in the future!

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for approving my request for this one! Van Veen's "my darling Dreadful thing" is one of the best modern Gothic horror novels I have ever read!

It takes place in 1958, but you wouldn't know it by the way Roos Beckman describes the world as she knows it. Her life is pain, blood, salt and tears from the beginning. The narrative follows her vivid thoughts, which are unabstract due to a rudimentary education but not stupid or foolish. Hers is based in the organic, and the way she smells, tastes and feels everything draws you in immediately. She is direct, candid, but interestingly, codependent. The latter is due to her upbringing, but also the fact that she is bound to an old spirit named Ruth.

Roos came upon Ruth quite accidentally, but in Ruth she found the love and support she dreadfully needed. Ruth knew pain, blood and tears, long before she had been drowned in that bog. Ruth's broken jaw clacks, she is icy cold with black eyes, and smells of earthy rot and peat. But when widow Agnes Knoop enters both their lives, everything changes for the better. Agnes brings Roos to her seemingly rich estate, to live as companions and with her own spirit Peter. As a result, Roos convinces herself that she will do anything to keep Agnes happy. Even if that happiness strikes at Ruth or raises something dangerous and cruel from the dead.

This novel is like a combination of Crimson Peak, the Monkey's Paw, and The Turn of the Screw. There were scenes in this book where you could almost feel the mud or smell the bog. Roos claims throughout the book that she is not mad, but this is true at least when pertaining to Ruth's existence. Her dark, desperate actions for Agnes though? No sane woman could do what she did, mentally or physically. That was honestly the best part of the book. Watching how far Roos was willing to go for the woman she loved. This one is definitely sticking with me. 4.5 /5!

My Darling Dreadful Thing
by Johanna van Veen
Pub Date: 14 May 2024
🌟🌟🌟🌟

Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see. Ruth—strange, corpse-like, and dead for centuries—is the light of Roos’ life. That is, until the wealthy young widow Agnes Knoop visits one of Roos’ backroom seances, and the two strike up a connection.

Soon, Roos is whisked away to the crumbling estate Agnes inherited upon the death of her husband, where an ill woman haunts the halls, strange smells drift through the air at night, and mysterious stone statues reside in the family chapel. Something dreadful festers in the manor, but still, the attraction between Roos and Agnes is undeniable.

Then, someone is murdered.

Poor, alone, and with a history of ‘hysterics’, Roos is the obvious culprit. With her sanity and innocence in question, she’ll have to prove who—or what—is at fault or lose everything she holds dear.

4.5/5
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. Publication date: 14/3 2024.

Do you love a gothic horror? Do pick this book up!
The story revolves around Roos, a young woman with an unlikely companion – a ghost named Ruth who also can possess her, because of this she’s the perfect person to help conduct fake séances.
One day, Agnes arrives to take part in a séance after her husband’s untimely death. Agnes takes a liking to Roos and takes her with her back to her inherited estate. There is something terrible festering inside the manor and an ill woman haunting the halls.
Things turn horrible wrong, and someone gets murdered. But why and by who?
It is also a story about love.
If you like a gothic tale, with a whodunit-twist this is the book for you!
It had me from page one, sending shivers up my spine occasionally. It was just the right amount of eerie and which of the characters can you really trust?
It’s truly a delightful and horrifying read!

This is an incredible story, the writing was so well done and it is just so beautiful! I loved Agnes and Roos so so much, their love story, their spirit companions- it just all worked. The hard to read subjects were handled with such care as well, I sat down in one sitting and read it all. Probably the coolest book I’ve read in a long time and one that will stick with me always🖤 thank you for the arc and the experience of this book, it’s fantastic and those who love gothic paranormal thrillers like me will sure to love this.