Spoiler Free Review
If you like books with evocative writing, are intrigued by true crime around body snatching, or by the history of medical science, this could be the book for you. If none of these elements intrigue you, then this is not the book for you.
I very much enjoyed this book, I picked it up on impulse from the library based largely on the cover, which as you can see is gorgeous. I knew only the cover and the blurb. The author quickly made me settle in. The writing style is reminiscent of older works like Frankenstein where it’s in 1st person but the character is telling a friend or perhaps writing to them after the events of the book. Also reminiscent of Frankenstein was the evocative prose. Dunlap captured the main character, James’, emotions with delightful turns of phrase and amusing internal thoughts.
There was also the way which the author quickly brings one into the underground of Edinburg during the enlightenment, shows the way in which folks learned to be a surgeon(they learn by practicing on the dead, but only in the private and expensive schools. At the university several hundread people watch the prof do a dissection from the stands). While the reader should likely realize some darker things(such as where the bodies they dissect are from), James being who he is, does not. At least not at first, which I really enjoyed.
SPOILERLY REVIEW
- This part of the review will reveal major plot elements and talk about the ending. If you do not want to read spoilers DO NOT READ FURTHER
Seriously STOP READING IF YOU DON"T WANT SPOILERS
This book had a lot of things I enjoyed, the relationship between James and his eventual romantic partner Aneriurium, often called Nye, was delightful. James was slow to trust at first becuase at first Nye did decisive him, and then ignored him for almost two weeks. However, both of these actions are for reasons that make sense and were to protect James. The first was becuase if James were oblivious to the fact he was working with snatchers he was less likely to get in trouble, and the second was becuase a scary gang was threatening the crew of body snatchers and Nye thought that if he kept his distance it would protect James. And after they have a good talk about it, with James essentially going I’m all in, Nye does not lie to James again. And while there realtionship is passoniate it is not beyond what I’d expect from two folks who are in their 20s. Esp with how starved for affection and real love James’ early life was.
I also found the growth on the part of James fantastically well done. He arrives in Edinbrough a young toff free of family for the first time, and immeditetly is affronted by the fact no one takes care of his luggage for him, no one else wears wasitecoat or cravet, and a host of other things that only the gentry would care about. He then ends up first needing help with his luggage(which is how he meets his first friends…who are at a tabel in a shady tavern playing with a human ear), needing help with money(which is how he ends up first being a look out and then a digger), and then being as audacious as to plan and put into motion a dangrous scheme to fight off a deadly gang. He grows so much, and while it’s not a coming of age story, it almost is.
I also really apprecaited that the book left no room for interperting the relationship between James and his male love interest, while also not making it a sad gay story or a story about someoen overcome the shame of being gay. While James has a few momments of refelction about his sexuality, esp with he’s told the real fates of people like him who get caught(it’s not good), he does not angst about it at length. I apprecaite not being queer-baited. I also truly enjoyed the banter between the two of them. They felt real affection for each other beyond physical desire.
The only compliant I have is that some plot elements seem rushed. The first 2/3rds of the book are about James going from naive to in the know of the dark body snatching underworld, to being a part of it, while the last 1/3rd is his body snatching crew dealing with a violent gang moving in and taking over the body snatching business. There are hints about it in the first 2/3rds but it felt very much like it went from hints to and now were in the thick of it in maybe a chapter or two. For a book marketed as a Twisted Gothic Mystery on amazon, the mystery plays a relatively small role for much of the book.
However this is a small quibble in an overall charming, delightful and occasionally(well more then occasionally, there is a lot of body snatching) gruesome book. I also love that I learned a lot about the history of medical science and two for-profit serial killers who supplied pristine dead bodies to some of the less scrupulous members of the medical community. And perhaps it is James' personality, or my own tolerance for gore in literature but the book did not feel particularly dark. It wasn't depressing, it had sad parts, it had some well shot emotional gut punches, but it is not a book which will eviscerate your emotions.
Any books you want me to read and review?