Isabel's Online Journal

Time to breakdown my most recent reads with all of you! Arguably I believe this will be one of my favourite segments of this blog. I’ll be discussing what I did and did not enjoy about each but I usually don’t finish books that I find uninteresting, sue me. This is also not a college worthy paper, I’m not looking for a grade here people, these are just my thoughts being written out.

Let’s begin!

This is my most recent read, although always wanting to read this novel, I had held off for so many year’s because I didn’t think I’d like it. I regret this mindset I find myself in because of how wrong I tend to be. The slow burn is different to others I have read because it felt like a 1950’s horror/thriller, everyone knows the story, if you don’t, you understand the vague idea of this Transylvanian villain. The use of diary entries, the insane asylum, the language and scenes all very dark and academic with an uneasiness and anxiety slowly infiltrating every character was honestly exhilarating.

Pages 130 – 160 felt like I was constantly on the verge of my seat, the suspense in the diary entries of Dr Seward on his patient, Van Helsing’s and Lucy’s were so thrilling, I literally could not look away, I felt my self saying “omg please read each others diaries already”, the suspense of them coming to the realisation and unearthing the horror before them was addictive to read. Van Helsing clocking that it could be Dracula that was harming poor Lucy, and than carrying out various “medical practices” to help conclude his theory before telling anybody else even though Dr Seward’s patient was acting in a way that could’ve helped him come to his conclusion much faster, AGHHHH. Van Helsing’s use of the garlic encompassing her room and even around her neck like a wreath, I LOVE IT, the subtle but definite change in Lucy’s canine teeth noticed by both Dr’s with uneasiness, literally written perfectly, insane to read, felt like the reality of their situation was setting in.

The killing of Lucy, I will not go into too much detail because I actually don’t even know how to write it’s justice, my thoughts on it probably won’t even do the storytelling justice.

I think the realness of the characters diary entries in relation to the notion that such dark ‘fairy tales’ could in-fact be relevant in their present-day 1890’s was very human, they all had pretty reasonable crash-outs at the fact that a vampire was roaming around London, which was almost comforting to read, because I can’t think of one person even in today’s 21st century that would react in any other way.

My review on goodreads for this one was so rough. I was going through it.

This novel is complex in relationships and morals, I found myself wanting both protagonists together but than also to just stay away from each other. I was so conflicted half the time, but it made for a gut wrenching read.

I felt physically ill through chapters 8-10, the absolute calamity that besotted both Rosie and Will after, oh my god.

There was also a very strong resemblance to Normal People through this, definitely not the same read but they are definitely cousins or something. It felt familiar, in a sense that both Rosie and Will were never quite getting it right; thoughts and small misjudgements affecting their feelings, trauma, miscommunication. It’s also just very expected, I don’t know how else to explain it but the emotions, feelings and actions from both characters in response to the events in their lives feel very human, which I somehow found comforting.

Oh my god.

Yeah I get the praise, I get the hype. I UNDERSTAND OKAY.

I don’t even know where to start or what to write if I am bring so frank.

There’s a certain desire to be part of Julian’s classes and that very secretive group. They are all so odd but intriguing and Richard is infatuated with the idea of them, so much so that you as the reader also get that feeling of being left out, you want to know just as much as Richard, which is a testament to the writer because I’ve never felt left out of a fictional friend group before.

I also now understand why booktok is so infatuated with this book. Those who read it become obsessed with the aesthetic it creates, it’s a dark academia read set in Vermont, it romanticizes learning Greek and Latin in an unconventional classroom where the select students dress, speak and act as if they are above everyone else. In fact, the friend group are obsessed with their appearance, they dress as if stuck in the early 1900’s, they eat up the fact nobody understands them and that they can speak in Greek and Latin to one another and they will get a physical reaction from whoever is around. Their Greek lecturer Julian either consciously or subconsciously created this idea of superiority by selectively hand picking these students to take his class, to the point where throughout their degree, his is their only lecturer and acts as their councillor as well, in fact he requires all his students to adhere to this, they do not interact with other students or take other classes at all. What a freak.

This need for perfection on the outside overtakes anything that may be going on for them internally, it literally takes over every character. However, if you break it down and remove the aesthetic and certain romance from the story, what you get is quite a gritty, dark and troubling read about a friend group that has an enabling teacher, endless funds for their odd escapades and secrets upon secrets upon secrets that tend to be quite disturbing. Throughout the novel no feelings of remorse or guilt are seen from any of them for anything they do either; Richard, Henry, Francis, Camilla and Charles are all quite private but also so obviously queer and unsettling. Edmund ‘Bunny’ is actually probably the most ‘normal’ out of the lot deluding to the fact that he’s obviously a compulsive liar, selfish and intentionally gets under people’s skin.

It is interesting though, excluding Richard, they are all ridiculously good at masking that they are in fact remorseful and have feelings of regret, but in reality they are seriously estranged individuals teetering on the edge of being genuine psychopaths enthralled by the idea they are able to relate with Greek gods and Latin philosophers.

Thus, this superiority complex, as a result, leads to two murders, a psychotic break and a suicide.

I encourage everyone to read this, I am actually going to read it for a second time at a later date to make sure I didn’t miss anything and have a proper understanding of the novel.

Okay, those have been my recent reads, I like this so I’ll continue doing this any chance I have some free time. I wrote this instead of writing my uni assignment so I hope you guys are grateful.

My GoodReads link: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/148572354-isabel-chalmers

All my love always,

Isabel xx