The Fascination

The title of this is somewhat apt as it seems modern authors have a fascination with freakshows and grotesqueries of the Victorian era. I am not sure it fascinates me enough to warrant the number of books that get written on the subject though. This one is competent enough, following the story of the bastard heir to a rich estate who gets disenfranchised when a new and more legitimate heir is born. He reconnects with a pair of twins, one normal the other suffering from dwarfism, that he met once at a carnival, whilst at the same time working at a public ‘cabinet' of the macabre. A mystery follows that links everyone back together in weird and mystical way.

It is dealing with some fairly classic tropes of both the gothic and carnival genres. The story flows well enough, although the convenience of all the links exposed does feel somewhat contrived in places. Ultimately I found it blended in with a lot of other books in these tropes and whilst competent it just wasn't memorable enough for me.

Once again I decided to take a break from crime and try something different. The Fascination was recommended by a friend and I decided to give it a go. Boy am I glad I did.
The theme of the book is the Victorians fascination with oddities and freak shows. Equal parts dark and poignant, The Fascination has many interesting characters, alongside many loathsome ones.
If you only read one more book this year, make sure it's this one. You won't be disappointed.