Darkly Atmospheric and Exquisitely Enigmatic
Louisa didn’t know that attending Temple House boarding school would change her life, just that it would take her away from her dull neighbourhood, and her separating parents. Victoria changed everything. From the moment she saw her in the summer house, Louisa’s life changed course and she became something new, different.
This beautifully atmospheric dark drama is full of moody setting and passion-filled youth. I immediately get Rebecca vibes from the writing, and from me that is a sublime compliment. The Gothic tones and corrupt understory both blend into an artistically thrilling piece of fiction. As I read this story, other works which came to mind were The Talented Mr Ripley, Twin Peaks and The Dead Poet’s Society, although The Temple House Vanishing is neither derivative nor overdone in any aspect.
The story is simple, but the writing is so rich and the characters so enigmatic that you don’t waste time worrying about the complexity of plot. Louisa is written with such a deft hand; I think all young dreamers who once thought that their life could be a decadently tragic poem will relate to her. The feeling of bohemian glamour that clings to both Mr Lavelle and Victoria is almost Gatsbyan in it’s smoked-filled gilded glory.
Lavelle is a beautifully flawed character, and I found the question of his responsibility and personal character to be one of the most intriguing aspects of this book. It is so easy to look on cases like the disappearance of Lavelle and Louisa and assume, no – know that the man is the predator; after all, he was a teacher in his twenties and she a 17-year-old student. However, I love that this book brings into question whether that is always the case, without also making him blameless and perfect. There is no question that as a teacher Mr Lavelle crossed boundaries, not clever with how far he took his artistic interests with the students. But was he a monster? I would argue not. He was just youthful, and drunk on ideas of philosophy, art and beauty, and was not mature enough to realise that he was crossing lines.
If I absolutely had to make a complaint about this book, I would say that I would have like more time with Victoria and Louisa at the school, and less with the journalist. To be honest, I think I would have enjoyed the book solely in the 90’s timeline. However, I liked the suspense that was added with the knowledge that no one would know what had happened to Louisa and Mr Lavelle for over 20 years.
The physical book is beautiful as well, and I adore the size, shape and feel of this hardback. The cover is eye catching and the whole book is high quality, from the slipcover to the rich end-papers.
I would absolutely recommend this book to any reader of modern literature, especially those who loved Rebecca and other poetic Gothic classics. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would.
This beautifully atmospheric dark drama is full of moody setting and passion-filled youth. I immediately get Rebecca vibes from the writing, and from me that is a sublime compliment. The Gothic tones and corrupt understory both blend into an artistically thrilling piece of fiction. As I read this story, other works which came to mind were The Talented Mr Ripley, Twin Peaks and The Dead Poet’s Society, although The Temple House Vanishing is neither derivative nor overdone in any aspect.
The story is simple, but the writing is so rich and the characters so enigmatic that you don’t waste time worrying about the complexity of plot. Louisa is written with such a deft hand; I think all young dreamers who once thought that their life could be a decadently tragic poem will relate to her. The feeling of bohemian glamour that clings to both Mr Lavelle and Victoria is almost Gatsbyan in it’s smoked-filled gilded glory.
Lavelle is a beautifully flawed character, and I found the question of his responsibility and personal character to be one of the most intriguing aspects of this book. It is so easy to look on cases like the disappearance of Lavelle and Louisa and assume, no – know that the man is the predator; after all, he was a teacher in his twenties and she a 17-year-old student. However, I love that this book brings into question whether that is always the case, without also making him blameless and perfect. There is no question that as a teacher Mr Lavelle crossed boundaries, not clever with how far he took his artistic interests with the students. But was he a monster? I would argue not. He was just youthful, and drunk on ideas of philosophy, art and beauty, and was not mature enough to realise that he was crossing lines.
If I absolutely had to make a complaint about this book, I would say that I would have like more time with Victoria and Louisa at the school, and less with the journalist. To be honest, I think I would have enjoyed the book solely in the 90’s timeline. However, I liked the suspense that was added with the knowledge that no one would know what had happened to Louisa and Mr Lavelle for over 20 years.
The physical book is beautiful as well, and I adore the size, shape and feel of this hardback. The cover is eye catching and the whole book is high quality, from the slipcover to the rich end-papers.
I would absolutely recommend this book to any reader of modern literature, especially those who loved Rebecca and other poetic Gothic classics. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would.