A review by uutopicaa
My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen

dark mysterious medium-paced

5.0

 

OMG! WHAT A BOOK!
I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in a long time! 

My Darling Dreadful Thing is a sapphic horror standalone novel set in the 1950s. The story follows Roos, a young woman with a ghost companion. She works for her mother (a fake medium) by pretending to be possessed by the spirits of the departed from WWII. Among their wealthy clients is Agnes, who recently lost her husband and also has a ghostly companion. 

The moment they meet, both women realize they share the same otherworldly power. 

Agnes buys Roos from her mother and takes her to live in the grand estate she inherited after her husband’s death. As they grow closer, they begin to learn from each other and, eventually, fall in love. However, their lives are filled with secrets, hauntings, and death. 

The story is interrupted with therapy sessions every now and then. They show conversations between the Roos and a doctor, which guide us through the events leading up to a dark turning point. The burning question is: what went wrong? 

The narration is captivating, and the characters are wonderfully developed. The horror aspect is seamlessly woven into the plot, with chilling descriptions that bleed through the story and send shivers down your spine. 

I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it!