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A review by lbrex
Uncle Silas: A Tale of Bartram-Haugh by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
5.0
I've read Le Fanu's Carmilla and many other sensation novels, but I'm ashamed to admit that this is the first that I've read _Uncle Silas_. It's a compelling thriller that follows along in the tradition of Wilkie Collins's writing, most notably _The Woman in White_, and deals with the perils of Maud Ruthyn, a young woman first entrusted by her father to a shifty French governess, and later to her Uncle Silas, a strange roue who has taken up Christianity despite the fact he was accused of a brutal murder during his younger years.
The opening of the novel is decidedly odd, and for many pages we are perplexed by Maud's retrospective account of her early years, especially by the fact that she seems terrified of so many things, most of which aren't necessarily scary. In the last 2/3 of the novel, the tone shifts and the novel becomes increasingly desperate and claustrophobic. At this point, it's really hard to put down.
The novel is well plotted, though there are certainly multiple loose ends in the conclusion, which feels rushed. Le Fanu's descriptions make up for these plot problems, however. I loved Maud's evolving impressions of Uncle Silas, as well as her accounts of her feelings and sensations as her terror mounts near the end of the novel. Lovers of Gothic fiction should be sure to read this, and it's a significant contribution to the sensation novels of the 1860s. Those looking to begin some initial explorations of the sensation novel or Victorian Gothic might have better luck with Collins or Braddon.
The opening of the novel is decidedly odd, and for many pages we are perplexed by Maud's retrospective account of her early years, especially by the fact that she seems terrified of so many things, most of which aren't necessarily scary. In the last 2/3 of the novel, the tone shifts and the novel becomes increasingly desperate and claustrophobic. At this point, it's really hard to put down.
The novel is well plotted, though there are certainly multiple loose ends in the conclusion, which feels rushed. Le Fanu's descriptions make up for these plot problems, however. I loved Maud's evolving impressions of Uncle Silas, as well as her accounts of her feelings and sensations as her terror mounts near the end of the novel. Lovers of Gothic fiction should be sure to read this, and it's a significant contribution to the sensation novels of the 1860s. Those looking to begin some initial explorations of the sensation novel or Victorian Gothic might have better luck with Collins or Braddon.