I think Wilkie Collins just blew my mind

This post is part of the Classics Circuit; please visit the site for more stops on the Wilkie Collins Tour!

Armadale
Wilkie Collins

I just don't get it. I don't understand how anyone can take a story as impossible and outrageous as this one and make it not only credible, but convincing. Clearly, the man was a master.

The events of Armadale (more incredible than those of The Woman in White and The Moonstone) nearly defy easy summary. Long story short, two men end up with the same name of Allan Armadale. One kills the other. Each has a son, also named Allan Armadale, who grows up never knowing of his "other." Years pass, and -- you guessed it -- they meet. (Cue dramatic music.) Then things get REALLY complicated.

There's more, of course -- lots more (the above is really only the first 100 pages of an 800+ monster). As in my previous encounters with Wilkie, the plot hinges on coincidence after coincidence, yet things never feel contrived even though they clearly are. Wilkie makes the impossible possible.

Armadale is also interesting for its comment on identity and the nature of free will. Are the sons of the first generation bound by the sins of their fathers? Can they redeem their fathers? And what of Lydia Gwilt, one of the most fascinating, corrupt villains I've had the pleasure of meeting? In an early glimpse into her character, she writes, "I am in one of my tempers to-night. I want a husband to vex, or a child to beat, or something of that sort. Do you ever like to see the summer insects kill themselves in the candle? I do, sometimes." And that's what she says when she's being charming! I don't want to say too much about her and ruin the fun, but trust me -- Armadale is worth reading for Lydia Gwilt alone.

An utterly fascinating, entertaining, and intelligent novel, Armadale exceeded even my high expectations. What seems like a confusing premise is anything but confusing in its execution. In fact, Armadale might have just toppled The Woman in White. I adored Count Fosco, but he is simply no match for Lydia Gwilt.

In a nutshell: How do you do it, Wilkie? I want to learn the ways of the Force.

Bibliolatry Scale: 6 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: I proudly paid for this one! (In fact, I snagged the Oxford edition AND a free Kindle edition, so I always had it at my fingertips!)

Rachel, my torment

My Cousin Rachel
Daphne DuMaurier

I've been meaning to post about my lastest encounter with the late, great Daphne DuMaurier. Not too long ago, I read Rebecca, and I was floored. I knew I had to read something else by this author, and when I found a discounted version of My Cousin Rachel, I knew fate was on my side.

It wasn't long before fate and I had yet another run-in, this time during one momentous day in October when I was called for jury duty. Thankfully, I remembered my new friend and brought her along for the day. We had a wonderful time together, as we eagerly anticipated hearing each subsequent round of suckers jurors who were next up. I dodged a bullet that day, but if it weren't for the experience, I might not have been able to read My Cousin Rachel. Each hellacious hour was filled with this spellbinding story, and while reading I was able to imagine that I was far from the courthouse that day.

Instead, I was on the estate of Philip Ashley (AKA Idiot Who Needs a Smack in the Head). Philip, who has been raised by his cousin Ambrose, looks back on his life and the choices that have brought him to this moment. Idiot takes us back in time, to a time when Ambrose was still alive. They loved one another. A lot. (But not like that -- jeez.)

At any rate, they love one another so much that Idiot fairly falls apart after Ambrose passes away. Ambrose, a confirmed bachelor (I'm pretty sure he likes to spit on the floor in the face of encroaching femininity or some such) goes off to Italy for a little healthification. While there, he meets his cousin Rachel, whom he -- previous misogyny be damned -- quickly marries. Unfortunately, the happy groom's health takes a turn for the worse, and it isn't long before he's dead. When Cousin Idiot learns the news, he is crushed.

Right: Olivia deHavilland as Rachel squares off against Richard Burton as the Idiot

Impetuously, he blames Rachel. But when he inherits the entire estate, it becomes clear that Rachel has no financial claim on anything. Perhaps his blame was hasty. But then Rachel returns to England, and all sorts of shit hit the fan. Philip is soon torn apart by powerful, conflicting forces: he falls in love with her, but also believes she had a hand in his cousin's death. Plenty of evidence support each side of the argument.

Was Rachel guilty? Did she poison Ambrose -- and does she mean to do the same to the idiot? One can only hope! (He's dumb enough to warrant it.) But don't worry about him: he's got a fool-proof plan for flushing her out into the open. Only, not. Read the book and be flabbergasted at that genius ending! Brilliant!

In a nutshell: The ambiguity! The uncertainty! DuMaurier, you've done it again.

Bibliolatry Scale: 6 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: I bought this one meself, so la la la lala.

People, stop going to houses of evil

The House of Lost Souls
F.G. Cottam

Still focusing on nanowrimo, my reading time is severely impaired. Nevertheless, I managed to find time to squeeze in a little House of Lost Souls. I waited eagerly for it to arrive . . . and then took my good old time reading it. Had I not lagged while reading this novel, I might have liked it better. As it was, I started to forget details, and when things began to get a little complicated, I was confused.

The novel opens on a funeral, but not just any funeral, mind you. This one was to bury a suicide, the young girl offing herself after a particularly traumatic experience in the haunted Fischer House. Now, Paul Seaton -- who survived an encounter in the same house a decade earlier -- has been enlisted to help rid the remaining girls of the affliction that continues to stalk them. To save the survivors, Paul must return to the house and put an end to the evil that stalks the grounds. Before he does so, however, the author rewinds the clock, returning us to the events that unleashed the evil decades before.

The House of Lost Souls is creepy, atmospheric, and unsettling. It's a perfect novel to read while curled up on the sofa with the lights down low. At times, I felt the story was bogged down with extraneous information (while other elements, that I wanted to know more about, weren't given the same treatment), but the novel was nevertheless an entertaining, thrilling read, and intriguing enough that I plan to check out more of Cottam's work.

In a nutshell: A little more complicated in places than it needed to be, but I enjoyed it overall.

Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: I bought this book myself.

This Funhole isn't that fun

The Cipher
Kathe Koja

Uh-oh. Nicholas, a would-be poet trapped in video store hell, has found a black hole in the basement. He and Nakota, his sometime girlfriend, become obsessed with it, dubbing it the Funhole and staring into its depths for hours on end.

Then they begin to experiment, lowering down a jar of bugs. Then, a mouse. Even a human hand. They do not return unscathed, the Funhole disturbingly altering them. Soon, they get the bright idea to send down a camcorder. Should be interesting, right?

As you might have guessed, things go from bad to worse for poor Nicholas and Nakota. Unfortunately, the same can be said for the book as a whole.

The impressionistic, often hazy style of writing often created confusion as to what was actually happening (it doesn't help that Nicholas is an alcoholic and not the most clear of narrators).

In a nutshell: Great premise, disappointing execution. (So says the hypocrite participating in nanowrimo. Yes, I'm aware of the irony.)

Bibliolatry Scale: 2 out of 6 stars

FTCBS: I got this one outta the library...thank heavens.

Is there anybody out there?

Helllooooo out there!

Am I alive? Dead? Inhabiting a ghostly in-between?

Never fear - I'm here, I'm just occupied with non-readerly pursuits. For the first time ever, I'm participating in nanowrimo, and reading is taking a backseat. While I haven't stopped reading entirely, I'm doing so at a much slower pace, and I intend to post short mini-reviews soon.

I'll return in sounder form come December.