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akarently 's review for:
O Caledonia
by Elspeth Barker
dark
emotional
funny
I always roll my eyes when people call a book laugh-out-loud funny, but in this dark novella, I actually did!! So, yes, this gothic coming-of-age novella actually earned a few real-life laughs from me. Equal parts tragic and witty, O Caledonia paints a painfully sharp portrait of Janet, a misfit girl growing up in the bleak wilds of mid-20th century Scotland. From the very first page, we know her fate (murdered in her mother’s black lace wedding dress, lamented only by her jackdaw), but the journey to that moment is both beautifully written and darkly humorous.
Barker’s prose is gorgeous — lyrical, atmospheric, and loaded with sharp observations — and the world of this lonely castle is both chilling and weirdly cozy. I especially loved the dry humor, the wild natural world Janet retreats to, and the haunting character of Lila (who deserved a whole novel of her own).
It’s a quick read, but it lingered. If you like quiet, introspective stories with a gothic twist, this one’s worth your time.
(P.S. I still have no idea where I got this book, but I’m glad I did!)
** Lila is Janet’s eccentric and rather mysterious cousin-in-law — the Russian widow of one of Janet's distant cousins. When Janet’s family moves into the gloomy Scottish castle (Auchnasaugh), Lila is already part of the household, and she’s one of the few characters in the story who seems to exist outside the stiff, judgmental world that Janet struggles against. Lila lives in quiet detachment: painting watercolors, reading, daydreaming, and largely avoiding human contact. For Janet, Lila becomes a kind of kindred spirit — at least, as much as anyone in her cold and indifferent world could be. Lila is one of the few characters in the book who highlights the quiet tragedy of women confined by circumstance and family, and she gives Janet fleeting glimpses of an adult life lived in defiance of social norms, though in a passive way. She’s a really sharp, subtle piece of the book's mood — a symbol of both resignation and quiet rebellion in a world that doesn’t accommodate difference.