The Book of Shadows

James Reese

James Reese's debut novel gives us nineteenth-century France's dark side in a grisly, but often interesting, way. Herculine sees the unexpected, ugly death of her mother just before she's consigned to a convent. There, being studious, she becomes the mother superior's pet. When the mother superior's rather diabolic niece comes to stay, she is put into Herculine's care and tutelage. The girl ends up getting them both into a world of trouble, the end result of which drives much of the rest of the novel (the summary here takes in the first hundred pages or so). The book is lush, lavishly-researched, and a pleasure overall to read.

Where it fails, and this is a minor point for some people, is in its lack of consistency in pacing. A number of portions of the story are told in extended flashbacks, and each of these moves far slower than the rest of the novel, making it tough going in some places. While Reese's love of flowery language never fails, and his words are a joy to read, the switching in pace is somewhat jarring at times. Also, it seems as if pieces were missing—especially at least one scene that should have come after the book ends. Still, it is a fine debut effort from an author whose next book could cement his place on the front line of the new, atmospheric horror novel.