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A review by thebobsphere
The Vet's Daughter by Barbara Comyns
5.0
The Vet’s Daughter is one of those books where the reader should go in knowing as little as possible so I’ll break tradition and not provide a summary, although the cover does contain a little clue what to expect. I will say that I had a tremendous time reading it.
Over the years I’ve found out that I REALLY like gothic novels, especially ones written by women : Daphne du Maurier, Shirley Jackson, Sylvia Townshend Warner , Muriel Spark, Flannery O’ Connor, Otessa Moshfegh the list goes on. Like these authors’ books. The Vet’s Daughter contains grotesque characters, some dark moments and a bit of a body count. It’s also written in a flowing manner so it can be read in one sitting.
The book itself is about emancipation, which I see is a common theme in gothic fiction as well. The question is that it always happens in unconventional ways and The Vet’s Daughter is no exception.
I think that Barbara Comyns, despite The Vet’s Daughter always being in print (and now a lot of her books are being reissued by Daunt Press) is an underrated author. I do urge people who love gothic fiction to check out The Vet’s Daughter as it is an example of how the genre can be executed well.
Over the years I’ve found out that I REALLY like gothic novels, especially ones written by women : Daphne du Maurier, Shirley Jackson, Sylvia Townshend Warner , Muriel Spark, Flannery O’ Connor, Otessa Moshfegh the list goes on. Like these authors’ books. The Vet’s Daughter contains grotesque characters, some dark moments and a bit of a body count. It’s also written in a flowing manner so it can be read in one sitting.
The book itself is about emancipation, which I see is a common theme in gothic fiction as well. The question is that it always happens in unconventional ways and The Vet’s Daughter is no exception.
I think that Barbara Comyns, despite The Vet’s Daughter always being in print (and now a lot of her books are being reissued by Daunt Press) is an underrated author. I do urge people who love gothic fiction to check out The Vet’s Daughter as it is an example of how the genre can be executed well.