The Lost History of Dreams by Kris Waldherr Published by Simon and Schuster on April 9, 2019
Genres: Fiction, General, Gothic, Historical, Mystery & Detective
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Set in Victorian England, Robert Highstead has abandoned his passion as a historian and instead became a daguerreotypist, focusing on photographing the dead for grieving relatives.
It's been years since he's spoken to his family, so when he is called upon to photograph his cousin's remains, he reluctantly agrees. His cousin, Hugh de Bonne, was a famed Byronesque poet whose last book, The Lost History of Dreams, generated a rabid cult following.
What Robert believes is a simple task quickly evolves into something far more complicated. Hugh's body must be transported to a chapel in Shropshire, built sixteen years earlier to house the remains of his wife, Ada. Complications continue as he must persuade Hugh's heir, Isabelle Lowell, to open the chapel. She reluctantly agrees, on the condition that Robert revert back to his historian roots and transcribe the story of Hugh and Ada's marriage, as told by Isabelle herself. Over the next five nights, what is revealed not only focuses on Hugh and Ada's tragic story but Robert's as well.
If you are in the mood for a dark and Gothic mystery, this is the book for you!
Waldherr opens with the line “All love stories are ghost stories in disguise.” What follows this telling passage is a truly atmospheric tale rich in all of the very best characteristics of Gothic stories, including a brooding old house and stories that teter between reality and the supernatural. The reader must question the reliability of multiple characters, for their motives and insight are often questioned. Why is it so important for the story of Hugh and Ada to be told? Why must Isabelle be the one to tell it?
When all is revealed, the reader is rewarded with an uncharacteristicly light end to what could have easily been a darker and more somber tale. Highly recommended.
