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A review by emlittle
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I want to level set expectations up front: this book is 3/4 no-plot-just-vibes. If you like gothic atmospheres, dark academia motifs, and off putting characters, this will 100% be your jam. Fortunately for me. I happen to enjoy a lack of plot as long as the vibes (imagery, setting, etc.) are strong enough to make up for it.
Thomas really did do a beautiful job of building a school that had all the makings of elite: shiny and mysterious from the outside and dusty and chipped when you look too closely. We experience Catherine through a character who would rather observe than interact so we get to see it all. The excessive wine drinking, the overly rich food, the drafty library and gallery. The imagery is consistently strong throughout the whole book.
The way she handles our leading woman, Ines, is a pretty unique experience. Even though we experience Catherine through Ines’s eyes, she’s either so detached or dissociated that rarely do we get a glimpse at what she thinks or feels. We know everything that happens to her but never really get to know how she feels about it. Her past is alluded to, but otherwise we get to know little about her even in the rare instance she does connect with another character. The only time we get to know something about her is when other characters plainly state things about her. Much like Catherine House, Ines is elusive and more of a concept than a noun.
The story over all is pretty slow until it isn’t. The first 2/3 of the book is an atmospheric fever dream, while the last 1/3 is cerebral thriller. So again— if mostly vibes and not a lot of plot isn’t your thing, Catherine House isn’t for you. Overall, I did really like this book. However, it could’ve been stronger if the bulk of the story punched as hard as the last ~120 pages did.
Thomas really did do a beautiful job of building a school that had all the makings of elite: shiny and mysterious from the outside and dusty and chipped when you look too closely. We experience Catherine through a character who would rather observe than interact so we get to see it all. The excessive wine drinking, the overly rich food, the drafty library and gallery. The imagery is consistently strong throughout the whole book.
The way she handles our leading woman, Ines, is a pretty unique experience. Even though we experience Catherine through Ines’s eyes, she’s either so detached or dissociated that rarely do we get a glimpse at what she thinks or feels. We know everything that happens to her but never really get to know how she feels about it. Her past is alluded to, but otherwise we get to know little about her even in the rare instance she does connect with another character. The only time we get to know something about her is when other characters plainly state things about her. Much like Catherine House, Ines is elusive and more of a concept than a noun.
The story over all is pretty slow until it isn’t. The first 2/3 of the book is an atmospheric fever dream, while the last 1/3 is cerebral thriller. So again— if mostly vibes and not a lot of plot isn’t your thing, Catherine House isn’t for you. Overall, I did really like this book. However, it could’ve been stronger if the bulk of the story punched as hard as the last ~120 pages did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Death, Grief, and Confinement