When you read an award winne there is always the danger that expectations are going to be too high. On this one my expectations were not met. Whilst there was plenty to enjoy, it ultimately it was light on the gothic atmosphere I had been expecting and the mystery at the heart of the plotting did not keep my attention.
Plot in a Nutshell
Recently released from an unhappy marriage by the sudden death of her abusive husband Cora leaves London to set off in search of fossils and adventure in the somewhat unlikely location of Colchester. From there she, her son and companion are directed to the small village of Aldwinter where to the frustration of the parish vicar there is a growing concern about a visitation / haunting of the infamous Essex serpent.
Thoughts
My first observation on this one was that so many of the sentences were frustratingly long; grammatically correct for sure, and perfectly punctuated but still really long. As such I found myself almost breathless (and not in a good way) as I read the first quarter of the book. However, once I sat down to read more of it in one go rather than on my commute I found I could look past this.
Next up: I found it difficult to really connect with either of the main characters. Cora was on paper the kind of character I should love. An intelligent woman, pushing her knowledge and the constraints of her time. She had overcome adversity and should have been easy to emotionally connect with. Yet I couldn’t. She was cold, and her development for much of the book was limited. Once it did kick in I found it forced.
Will was lovely but did not have the depth of character I was looking for. His faith whilst clearly important to him was not as accessible as I needed it to be to really understand or to drive the tension between faith and doubt.
I was expecting a particular kind of atmosphere given the book was positioned as Victorian Gothic and this did not deliver. I think Parry painted the village of Aldwinter really well. It felt exposed and remote. Exactly the kind of place the fear and then hysteria surrounding a myth like the Essex Serpent could come to life. However, I think it was in the description of the village and villagers (I loved the scene in the school) that created the sense of place and style, which whilst compelling did not feel very gothic.
I understand that this is not a novel with a complex plot, rather I think Parry has set out to present a story of contrasts. There is the city vs the countryside, faith and religion versus science and the wealthy versus those who have little. I found however the differences at times too crudely drawn to really connect with. This left me with a bit of a ‘so-what’ feeling perhaps possibly because of the sheer numbers of characters and storylines threading though the novel.
Whilst this large cast of extras diluted the plot and feel they were also my most favourite parts of the novel. It was a cast of excellently drawn minor characters all of whom I felt had more interesting stories and points of view about the backdrop of late Victorian England. I found the socialism and political activism of Martha, Cora’s companion infinitely amore engaging that Cora’s quest to be a scientist. As for Joanna, Will’s daughter I would happily read another book entirely about her. Her challenges starting to grow up and beyond her friends, her sheer intelligence and aspirations alongside a burgeoning made her a surprisingly deep minor character.
The Essex Serpent is an intelligent, carefully made novel, full of ideas and interesting characters but for me it never quite cohered into the haunting, dark novel it so clearly aspired to be.