Welcome to our annual Birthday Bash! Every November we celebrate DHR’s founding in November 2020 with a new theme. This year, we’re tackling Horror History. Historical Horror, history of horror, classic horror texts and more. Want to get involved? Just head over to our Substack and check out our call for submissions post!
Genre: Historical / Gothic
Age: Young Adult/Adult
Format: ebook
A reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Gray, which sees Dorian trapped as heir to their grandfather’s fortune, following their grandfather’s rules and manipulations. Frustrated and miserable, Dorian sneaks out to his father’s gallery, where they meet a young painter named Basil. What follows is almost a coming-of-age tale, as Dorian learns about the queer London underworld, thanks to Basil and friend Henry Wootton. As Dorian goes deeper into this world, the risks increase, and they eventually flee London with Henry’s help, full of guilt and shame following their role in the arrest of beloved drag performer Sybil Vane.
It’s been quite a long time since I read The Picture of Dorian Gray, so I’m not going to compare the two. What I really appreciated about Grenier’s take is the explicit queerness, but combined with a historical perspective. Dorian struggles, partly because of a general lack of understanding around queer identities and an inability to fully recognise it within themselves. There are echoes of this with multiple characters, and we see in various ways how the queer community around Dorian deals with this. Henry marries a woman who doesn’t care what he gets up to, but he still ‘protects’ her (and himself) from her knowing too much. Basil is more quiet, reserved and watchful, while Dorian’s father works in an art gallery, surrounding himself with artists while he works with his partner, creating the illusion they are merely business partners and nothing more.
I love when authors writing in historical settings manage to show that yes, the queer community has always been here, always helped each other, always found ways of existing no matter what the wider world thinks of them. And the language Elle Grenier uses really brings this world to life – the descriptions are delightfully gothic, while we really get under the skin of the main character and sit firmly within their point of view throughout. It’s relatively slow paced, but this absolutely works to the book’s benefit as you meander through this world.
A wonderful reimagining and one I highly recommend, whether or not you’ve read the original tale.
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter: @elleturpitt
Bluesky: @elleturpitt.bsky.social
I received this ebook from Titan Books via NetGalley for review consideration.
