Book of the Week (5)

Book: The Thirteenth Tale

Author: Diane Setterfield

Genre: Mystery - Gothic

Goodreads Rating: 3.92/5

           I was searching for some interesting mystery books, and then I remembered that I was recommended the Thirteenth Tale. The Thirteenth Tale is a mystery novel, but not the kind of mystery I was expecting. It turned out to be different and interesting. So, let's begin with the base of the story.

           Margaret Lea is a biographer. Her father has antiquarian shop, it sells old and rare books. Margaret would work there and get books to read from there. One day she receives a letter from Vida Winter, Britain's top contemporary novelist. She'd like Margaret to write her true biography. Margaret didn't read contemporary novels, she was a classics reader, so she knew nothing of Miss Winter. That's when she decided Vida Winter's only book at her father's antiquarian "Thirteen Tales of Change and Desperation". To Margaret's surprise she was completely absorbed by the book. It fascinated her, however near the end she realized something wrong with book; it had only twelve tales. Margaret knows later that the copy was a rare first edition and that the book was released after that under the name "Tales of Change and Desperation". However, that didn't stop the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale from spreading. Also, one more thing Margaret realizes about Vida Winters is that when asked about her story by the press, she gives a completely different one every time, an enjoyable story but not hers. Margaret, finally agrees to take the job and be Vida Winter's Biographer.

           Vida Winter has secrets, secrets she's willing to tell, at last, her days at Angelfield, her childhood home. However, she's not the only one who has a secret. Margaret Lea, also, has one. She has a secret that weighs her, the more she becomes immersed in the tale of Vida Winter. So, what's the secret of Margaret Lea? What's the true story of Vida Winter and what's the secret of the thirteenth tale? Those are the mysteries to look forward to in Diane Setterfield's debut novel: The Thirteenth tale.

           The Thirteenth tale is written in a first-person narrative point of view, which is suitable for mystery. The novel is a Gothic-fiction, a genre that combines fiction, horror and romanticism.

Now, I am no expert in literature, since I haven't studied it, but I can tell that much from what I have noticed and read about the Gothic fiction genre:
-Had it been Margaret Lea or Vida Winter, they were both fans of classics like: Jane Eyre, Wuthering heights and the woman in white; all which happen to fall in the Gothic fiction genre. So, it's pretty natural, that the narrated story would be written in such manner: the too many figures of speech, and the elongated description of nature. Did I find that annoying? Well, no. It's true I've been not been keen for a while on reading classics because of the extended descriptions and the complicated figures of speech. English is not my native language, so it could be hard and tiring. However, in The Thirteenth Tale, I got used to that writing fast, most probably because it suited the atmosphere. It couldn't have been written otherwise. Also, the figures of speech were not that complicated, many, but mostly easy to comprehend.
-Of course the book is dominated by other elements of romanticism, one of the components of Gothic fiction, imagination, intuition, the air of mystic and supernatural, also the emphasis on matters like death, melancholy and psychology.
-Reading the thirteenth tale felt like reading a classic. I could hardly get myself to grasp the fact that I was reading something contemporary.
-Generally speaking, I enjoyed the book. It gave me the amount of suspense, enjoyment and unpredictability I desired. There were a couple of creepy characters that I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable while reading about them. That's when I least enjoyed the book. However, they were necessary for the story and for the main characters and mystery to evolve.
-The Thirteenth Tale, especially, the first few chapters that were narrated only by Margaret, had some interesting quotes about reading and books, one of them encouraged me to read classics again. These are two my favorite quotes:

“People disappear when they die. Their voice, their laughter, the warmth of their breath. Their flesh. Eventually their bones. All living memory of them ceases. This is both dreadful and natural. Yet for some there is an exception to this annihilation. For in the books they write they continue to exist. We can rediscover them. Their humor, their tone of voice, their moods. Through the written word they can anger you or make you happy. They can comfort you. They can perplex you. They can alter you. All this, even though they are dead.”

“I read old novels. The reason is simple: I prefer proper endings. Marriages and deaths, noble sacrifices and miraculous restorations, tragic separations and unhoped-for reunions, great falls and dreams fulfilled; these, in my view, constitute an ending worth the wait. They should come after adventures, perils, dangers and dilemmas, and wind everything up nice and neatly. Endings like this are to be found more commonly in old novels than new ones, so I read old novels."

         Finally, for whoever is interested in The Thirteenth Tale, I suggest you read Jane Eyre first. There is a number of significant references to Jane Eyre; references I didn't catch since I hadn't read it. I'm reading it now out of curiosity, to fill the gaps. So, If Jane Eyre is on your list read it first.

         Well, that was very long. It seems like I caught the infection. One more thing! There isa TV movie adaptation to The Thirteenth Tale by the BBC. I haven't watched it yet, so I don't know if it's any good. However, I might update this post when I watch it.