Michelle Pillow’s new novel reflects that gothic romance is alive and well

As a student of the classic 19th century Gothic novel, I occasionally like to read 21st century Gothic novels to see how well the seeds that Ms. Radcliffe planted are blooming. I’m happy to report that authors like Michelle Pillow keep the Gothic tradition alive by using standard Gothic plot devices, but making them their own as Gothic evolves into something more spiritual and less terrifying than its creators may have imagined.

Forget Me Not has all the classic gothic elements a reader could wish for, and draws heavily on those early novels for its setting and atmosphere. We can also define it as a regency novel, since it is set in England in 1812, when George IV was still Prince Regent of England. Today’s readers might call it paranormal rather than gothic, and of course it falls into the romance novel category as well.

The story begins when Isabel Drake and her sister Jane speculate on whether Rothfield Park is haunted. The family has rented the manor house from its owner, the Marquis of Rothfield. Legend says that during a fire, a boy and a servant died in the house. Jane claims that she has seen evidence of apparitions at the castle, but Isabel believes that Jane just let her imagination take over after reading a “shocking shilling”. (Shilling shockers were popular short books in the 19th century that often plagiarized best-selling Gothic novels and were summarized to be affordable, costing just one shilling.) This scene is reminiscent of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and the emotions Catherine Morland and Isabella Thorpe have. on reading “horrible” novels by Mrs. Radcliffe and others.

Isabel, however, has bigger problems than ghosts. His parents do not like how he treats his governess so they have decided to hire a tutor approved by the colonel, nephew of the Marquis of Rothfield, with whom they plan to marry him. Isabel wants nothing to do with marrying the colonel or a new guardian.

Angry, Isabel goes to ride and reaches the forest, where a dense fog is settling. There she meets a mysterious boy who asks her to play with her, but Isabel refuses, feeling scared. While trying to return home, he has an accident with a tree branch and falls off his horse.

Isabel does not remember the accident, but when she recovers, she discovers that her parents left her alone in Rothfield with her new guardian, Dougal Weston. Here, I admit, my voluntary suspension of disbelief was somewhat challenged – no self-respecting noble family of this time would leave their daughter alone with servants and a handsome male guardian, but Michelle Pillow will provide some surprising explanations and ultimately credible. for this chain of events before the novel ends.

Dougal Weston turns out to be unlike any tutor Isabel would have expected. It doesn’t really teach him much about anything, he just asks him to read and then discuss what he read with him. Isabel soon begins to suspect that he is not a guardian, but someone with an ulterior motive for being in Rothfield.

However, Isabel falls in love with him and confesses that she now repeatedly sees the ghost boy. Dougal seems interested in the story of the house and the ghost boy, but he also tries to comfort Isabel and calm her fears. Their consolation eventually goes too far, although Isabel isn’t opposed, and you guessed it, they have some pretty nice sex. Before long, Isabel begins to consider how she could circumvent her social status and marital expectations to run away and live in a cabin with Dougal.

Eventually, however, Isabel begins to suspect that Dougal is only using her to learn more about the ghost boy. Dougal then asks Reverend Stillwell to talk to Isabel about ghosts. The Reverend Stillwell is a kind of medium who can communicate with the dead; She explains things to Isabel about ghosts that make her feel more comfortable and she realizes that she is not crazy. It will also encourage Isabel and Dougal to seek happiness.

I can’t say more without revealing all the plot twists, but I’ll just say that I love how Michelle Pillow takes old goth themes and makes them new. Before the story ends, there is even a cursed man who has made a Faustian pact to gain knowledge of evil wizards in exchange for his soul. However, you can avoid going to hell by capturing other souls for the devil, a classic Victorian twist previously used by authors such as George WM Reynolds in The Necromancer (1852). Pillow is also based on the conventions of the regency novels: there is even a runaway marriage to Gretna Green, worthy of a Jane Austen novel. Finally, I didn’t see the final plot twist at the end, although I think I should have, but in any case, I loved it.

Forget Me Not isn’t exactly Jane Austen, but if you’ve liked books like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, Forget Me Not should give you plenty of ghostly pleasure. If you’re a fan of TV shows like The Ghost Whisperer or movies like The Sixth Sense, you’ll also find more enjoyable modern twists on ghosts and goth on these pages. After you’re done, Forget Me Not, I suspect you’ll want to read more Michelle Pillow novels; Fortunately, he has written a lot in both the romantic and paranormal genres.