Josephine Hart: Damage

I am not sure that this novel is a strict Gothic, but Josephine Hart's Damage published in 1991 is dark and tense. I do not recommend it for some of my readers due to sensitive scenes. If you want to know more about that before reading, feel free to email me or comment. The novel is a page turner, and I read it in two days. It is also short at about 195 pages.

I decided to make a list of Gothic elements in the book to see why I might like it and how I could fit it into the blog. I'll eschew a full review in lieu of my list. The novel feels like an urban gothic to me, but it does have country scenes.

secret room/key to it
twisted heroine with secrets and a shameful past
damaged heroine
incest
creepy letter
secret notes
murder/suicide that no one speaks of (or few speak of)
creepy resemblence of a lover to the deceased
recluse
hero/villain
strange father/son relationship
family estate in the country (Hartley)
obsession
sexual perversion on the part of the heroine and villain

So, this novel does have many Gothic elements, and perhaps that's why I enjoyed it tremendously. I first ran across the story in movie form with Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche (two of my favorite actors). If you don't mind graphic details and very dark plots, and you like a book with a high writing style (literary), check the book and the movie out.

Rating: 4 stars  ****