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A review by kaybee435b2
The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis
3.0
I received an ARC of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
‘The Barrowfields’ is a debut novel in the literary gothic tradition from Phillip Lewis, a writer and lawyer from North Carolina. Set in current times in a dark and brooding Appalachian landscape, it tells a story of a brilliant but failed writer and his family. Told from the view of his son, Henry, it has moments of true eeriness, some warm and romantic interludes, and tragedy that is finally elucidated late in the story. I really loved the amazing, detailed descriptions of the “monstrous gothic skeleton” family home, especially the vast library. Book lover’s dream! Lewis does a good job of walking us through this enormous and complicated, horrible structure. However, I had a more difficult time understanding the motivations and actions of the people in the novel, especially the female characters. Henry and his father are flawed but described well; his mother, sister, and girlfriend just seemed flat and formulaic in some ways. I feel that this book could use some expert editing. For me, the impact of the writing style was bumpy and segues were uneven as Henry progressed through his life. It was a relief to land at the denouement of this brooding narrative.
‘The Barrowfields’ is a debut novel in the literary gothic tradition from Phillip Lewis, a writer and lawyer from North Carolina. Set in current times in a dark and brooding Appalachian landscape, it tells a story of a brilliant but failed writer and his family. Told from the view of his son, Henry, it has moments of true eeriness, some warm and romantic interludes, and tragedy that is finally elucidated late in the story. I really loved the amazing, detailed descriptions of the “monstrous gothic skeleton” family home, especially the vast library. Book lover’s dream! Lewis does a good job of walking us through this enormous and complicated, horrible structure. However, I had a more difficult time understanding the motivations and actions of the people in the novel, especially the female characters. Henry and his father are flawed but described well; his mother, sister, and girlfriend just seemed flat and formulaic in some ways. I feel that this book could use some expert editing. For me, the impact of the writing style was bumpy and segues were uneven as Henry progressed through his life. It was a relief to land at the denouement of this brooding narrative.