Elle’s Review of The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Welcome to our 2nd Annual Birthday Bash as Divination Hollow Reviews!
We’ll be celebrating all month long with a series of posts by our team and esteemed colleagues and this year’s theme is “Going to the Movies!” Join us as we share themed content with special “tickets” for each category inspired by cinema.
Celebrate with us!
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Genre: Gothic Horror
Okay, I admit – the thing that had me instantly hooked on this book from the very first page was how much it reads like a Romance. Starling has expertly woven together the two genres, creating something that reads at first like Historical Romance, before shifting into more Gothic and Horror. Jane needs to get married, but she needs to ensure the match is someone who will give her independence and freedom, and she sets her sights on Doctor Augustine Lawrence, convincing him of how perfect the marriage will be, emphasising it is one of convenience – a business arrangement - and nothing more.
This world is a sort of alternate Britain/Europe during what we would recognise as the Victorian Era. It’s a post-war country, and Jane herself was directly impacted by the war, as her parents volunteered and left her with family friends. Her experiences of the bombing and shelling really impact how she reacts to some of the situations she later finds herself in, and her trauma is handled well by the author.
Jane is intelligent and determined, fully believing the best thing to do is marry for a lifestyle, as a business arrangement rather than considering marrying for love, but Starling does an excellent job when she pulls together Jane and Augustine, laying the groundwork for what comes later.
The ‘magic’ itself is darker, and the version that comes with a price. Jane witnesses this first-hand with the first patient she helps Augustine with, though she doesn’t understand initially what the strange growth her soon-to-be-husband pulls out of the man’s stomach. It sets Jane off on a path that takes her deeper into Augustine’s life and home than she ever intended.
The relationship at the core feels completely grounded in Romance, and all the more effective for it. These two characters, too, feel crafted from the genre, like Starling has created them from Romance, picked them up, added a scar or two and dropped them into a deeply horrifying situation.
The Gothic atmosphere is heavy, and pierces through the novel as Jane sees more of the house and its inhabitants, and as she’s driven into doing something dangerous.
The only slight niggle I had was the book itself felt too long. There are parts where it really does drag, especially when it transitions to the house itself. Some of it just felt a tad unnecessary.
But overall, this is definitely a really good horror novel that delves deep into darkness and guilt. Well worth a read.
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter & Instagram: @elleturpitt
I received this ebook from Titan Books via NetGalley for review consideration.
Esbat: A Bookish Podcast is a fortnightly podcast discussing SFF & Horror books by diverse writers. Every two weeks, we bring you discussions with fantastic guests about the books they want to highlight. In our latest episode, we discuss The Death of Jane Lawrence with Vicky Brewster. You can find out more on our Esbat Podcast page.
