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madlymusing 's review for:
Bellman & Black
by Diane Setterfield
To begin, this book is not The Thirteenth Tale. I admit that I wanted to read it mostly because I loved that novel, but this is in no way a follow up or a development of that theme. Although, I suppose both deal with hauntings, of a sort. Anyway, I digress.
Bellman & Black tells of William Bellman, beginning ominously on his deathbed before going back to follow the key moments of his life, from childhood through to middle-aged adulthood. It has been referred to as a ghost story, which is true (although not in the traditional sense), but I actually feel that it is a gothic novel, complete with lots and lots of black detailing. There is a huge focus on death - in the first half, the moments in which death appears in William's life, including that of a rook he killed as a boy, his grandfather, his mother, his uncle, his wife and children, and friends. The second half is centred on the Victorian death industry - mourning wear, funerals, the whole shebang. It's fascinating. Throughout, William is haunted by Mr Black, who first appears at the funerals of his loved ones, and is then significant in his absence for much of the second part.
I needed a few days to think about this book after I finished it. For a relatively short novel, it is dense and can be read in a number of different ways. For me, I think that Mr Black was a kind of ghost; he certainly haunted William throughout his life. William likened him to the rooks of his youth and his first exposure to death, something he is reminded of at every subsequent funeral. Because he can't remember the conversation in the cemetery, he feels utterly indebted, for both the idea for the store, and for Dora's life; because he can't remember the deal or its conditions, Dora then reminds him of something he can't control, and so he distances himself. And so on.
It's a fascinating book. If you don't compare it to Setterfield's earlier novel, it's a wonderfully moody and complex exploration of one man seeking to distance himself from the one thing none of us can avoid. 3.5 stars.
Bellman & Black tells of William Bellman, beginning ominously on his deathbed before going back to follow the key moments of his life, from childhood through to middle-aged adulthood. It has been referred to as a ghost story, which is true (although not in the traditional sense), but I actually feel that it is a gothic novel, complete with lots and lots of black detailing. There is a huge focus on death - in the first half, the moments in which death appears in William's life, including that of a rook he killed as a boy, his grandfather, his mother, his uncle, his wife and children, and friends. The second half is centred on the Victorian death industry - mourning wear, funerals, the whole shebang. It's fascinating. Throughout, William is haunted by Mr Black, who first appears at the funerals of his loved ones, and is then significant in his absence for much of the second part.
I needed a few days to think about this book after I finished it. For a relatively short novel, it is dense and can be read in a number of different ways. For me, I think that Mr Black was a kind of ghost; he certainly haunted William throughout his life. William likened him to the rooks of his youth and his first exposure to death, something he is reminded of at every subsequent funeral. Because he can't remember the conversation in the cemetery, he feels utterly indebted, for both the idea for the store, and for Dora's life; because he can't remember the deal or its conditions, Dora then reminds him of something he can't control, and so he distances himself. And so on.
It's a fascinating book. If you don't compare it to Setterfield's earlier novel, it's a wonderfully moody and complex exploration of one man seeking to distance himself from the one thing none of us can avoid. 3.5 stars.