Gothic jewels for a rainy day

Poor Deer: A Novel by Claire Oshetsky, Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Lucy’s Little Library is a monthly book column that recommends three must-read books for Ohio literature lovers.

Dear reader, it is time to embrace darkness and decay with open arms.

When there’s thunder or lightning strikes, there’s nothing better than opening a gothic novel in company. Fortunately, these three titles are primed and ready to be readers’ brooding friends.

Please note that the books featured are arranged in ascending order from lowest to highest number of pages. Domestic students can apply for a free Columbus Metropolitan Library card on-line or at the circulation desk of the Thompson Library, depending on information from the university libraries. website.

“Poor Deer: A Novel” (2024)

Genre(s): literary fiction, magical realism

Number of pages: 240

Core qualities: seductive, innovative and vulnerable

Deeply bizarre and yet somehow comforting, “Poor Deer” gives the sadness of childhood a new skin – or rather, a fur.

The plot revolves around Margaret Murphy, a shy girl whose naivety indirectly causes the death of her close friend Agnes. Her nagging guilt – coupled with a struggle to understand mortality – soon manifests itself as the Poor Deer, an illusory animal companion who stalks Margaret and persistently urges her to tell “the truth” about that blurry day in Agnes’ tool shed.

Even as she ages, Margaret remains trapped in a series of agonizing what-ifs. Oshetsky’s wise decision to make “Poor Deer” a frame story, in which an adult Margaret tries to write her confession in the external frame, expresses this regret in bold colors.

Consuming Poor Deer means encountering gothic theme ideas, particularly isolation and psychological turmoil, at top speed, page after page. Never has an imaginary “friend” been so powerful.

Standout Quote: “On that day, the girl feels so much love emanating from her mother that she is sure that her mother has the power to save her.” Soon she will realize that she cannot be saved. “

“Wakenhyrst” (2019)

Genre(s): Gothic thriller

Number of pages: 304

Core qualities: thoughtful, scary and sad

Stumbling through “Wakenhyrst” feels like slipping into a drunken stupor that isn’t entirely your own.

Maud Sterne – a lonely, misunderstood young woman – lives with her respected father Edmund in a mansion in Suffolk, England. Surrounded by misty wetlands, she finds fragments of peace in the swamp wildlife and a gentle gardener named Clem; However, this sparse peace is soon threatened when Edmund descends into religious madness.

Aside from the stunning use of Edwardian aesthetics, this story boldly explores repressive family dynamics and powerful self-discovery. Even the most petrified of bookworms will have to gasp, sigh and shed a few tears as they devour “Wakenhyrst.”

Standout Quote: “How can blood wash away sin? Because God says so? Well, it doesn’t! My mother’s blood did not wash away my father’s sin!”

(Left to right) “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë and “Wakenhyrst” by Michelle Paver. Photo credit: Lucy Lawler | Senior Editor for Design

“Jane Eyre” (1847)

Genre(s): Gothic fiction, coming-of-age story

Number of pages: approx. 400, varies depending on edition

Core qualities: atmospheric, passionate and timeless

I’m fully aware that Jane Eyre can be a hard sell to modern audiences, but there are countless reasons why it’s a gothic classic. The very first salutation of this column, “dear reader,” is a direct allusion to Brontë’s magnum opus.

Set in Victorian England, “Jane Eyre” centers on the title character, an orphan who experiences abuse and neglect during her difficult youth. Jane eventually takes a job as a governess at the large but enigmatic Thornfield Hall and befriends its troubled master, Edward Rochester.

As Rochester’s various secrets come to light, Jane is torn between her personal desires and her moral compass, resulting in a darkly dramatic narrative that begs for critical interpretation. Having read Jane Eyre for the first time at the age of 17, I can confidently say that it gets richer with age – whether you love it or hate it.

Outstanding quote: “Do you think that I am soulless and heartless because I am poor, unknown, simple and small?” You think wrong! I have as much soul as you and just as much heart! And if God had given me some beauty and a lot of wealth, I would have made it as hard for you to leave me as it is for me to leave you now.”

Check back next month for another entry in Lucy’s Little Library, the column that recommends three must-reads for Ohio literature lovers. Photo credit: Lucy Lawler | Senior Content Editor