Blog Tour Review: The Fascination – Essie Fox

I received a copy of the book from the publisher.

About The Book

Twin sisters Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical in every way, except that Tilly hasn’t grown a single inch since she was five. Coerced into promoting their father’s quack elixir as they tour the country fairgrounds, at the age of fifteen the girls are sold to a mysterious Italian known as ‘Captain’.

Theo is an orphan, raised by his grandfather, Lord Seabrook, a man who has a dark interest in anatomical freaks and other curiosities … particularly the human kind. Resenting his grandson for his mother’s death in childbirth, when Seabrook remarries and a new heir is produced, Theo is forced to leave home without a penny to his name. Theo finds employment in Dr Summerwell’s Museum of Anatomy in London, and here he meets Captain and his theatrical ‘family’ of performers, freaks and outcasts.

But it is Theo’s fascination with Tilly and Keziah that will lead all of them into a dark web of deceits, exposing unthinkable secrets and threatening everything they know…

My Review

OMG, this book is astoundingly good. Historical fiction, mixed with fact, it examines the dark side of Victorian England, where those who are different are labelled freaks, become sideshows in circuses and are used as amusements and pets by the wealthy. Deliciously gothic in tone, The Fascination is unafraid to take the reader down dark avenues but, has a lot of hope at its heart.

Our protaganists are Keziah and Tilly Lovell, twins who have been brought up a by a drunken gambler of a father who is always chasing a get rich quick scheme. They are identical twins in every way, but Tilly hasn’t grown since she was a child and their nefarious father sees this as an opportunity to sell laudanum, pitching it as a tonic to cure all ills, using Keziah as an example of its success and Tilly as an example of what could befall you if you don’t use its healing powers. He takes them on the road, joining a travelling circus, where Tilly draws huge crowds.

It is here that they meet Theo Seabrook, the grandson of Lord Seabrook, a despicable man whose private collections of curiosities range from the intriguing to the depraved. Theo, brought up in the remote family estate by his grandfather after his mother died in childbirth, has led a lonely life with only the company of his governess and the cook to occupy him. Aware of his grandfather’s collection from a young age, he is no stranger to those who are deemed ‘abnormal’, and so when he meets Keziah and Tilly, he feels a powerful connection.

This is beautifully written and richly textured book. Fox creates a spellbinding world featuring wonderful characters and a multi-layered plot which takes us from the circus to a crumbling house in London, a place owned by the mysterious ‘Captain’ a man who buys the twins from their father. It is here that the book really came alive for me. The house with its ivy growing over the windows, the attic rooms where Martha, a woman cast out by society for having a hare lip, creates beautiful gowns and clothing and the bedrooms occupied by Keziah and Tilly papered with white and red roses became a place I felt I knew well.

It feels almost dreamlike in places, and is utterly spellbinding. Captain creates a chosen family within the walls of his house, filled with ‘freaks’ and ‘oddities’, but the place is filled with love. The relationship between this group reminded me a little of the friendship depicted in Still Life by Sarah Winman, in its purity and ease. These pages provide light in contrast to the darkness that the reader frequently finds themselves in.

Fox is unafraid to examine the darkness of human nature, and there are some grim and distressing scenes, made all the darker by the knowledge that much of what she depicts in the pages is borne of meticulous research. It is a fascinating book, and an utter page turner. It has shades of Fingersmith by Sarah Waters in its Victorian feel and authenticity and I think readers who liked The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill will really love this book as it explores similar themes and is equally as beautiful. The Fascination is probably one of my books of the year, it is unique, gorgeously written and an absolute gem. It comes highly recommended from me.

About The Author

Essie Fox

Essie Fox was born and raised in ruralHerefordshire, which inspires much of her writing. After studying English Literature at Sheffield University, she moved to London where she worked for the Telegraph Sunday Magazine, and then book publishers George Allen & Unwin, before becoming self-employed in the world of art and design. Essie now spends her time writing historical gothic novels. Her debut, The Somnambulist, was shortlisted for the National Book Awards, and featured on Channel 4’s TV Book Club. The Last Days of Leda Grey, set in the early years of silent film, was selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month. Essie is also the creator of the popular blog: The Virtual Victorian. She has lectured on this era at the V&A, and the National Gallery in London.