"The Essex Serpent" Review

This book has firmly entered my "All Time Favourite Books" shelf - a difficult feat to accomplish but this has a well deserved spot right there.  I feel like it is very reminiscent of the Victorian classics but is written in an arguably more accessible style for the modern audience.  I am going to split the review into sections: narrative, character, setting and plot to ensure I don't miss anything out.

Character

Sarah Perry enticed us into the life of Cora, a young widow left alone with her son, who is recovering from a highly abusive relationship with her now dead husband.  Cora is intrigued by all things connected with nature and science - she does not promote the typical tropes of a Victorian character in the sense of religious beliefs and piousness. This actually serves heavily in her favour as she quickly establishes herself as someone who really does not quite fit into society.  This is particularly endearing and, at times, comical as she tries to navigate through etiquette and social conventions.  I really loved that she just came across in an independent, intelligent and emotionally strong manner. The reader does not get to know a lot about Cora's past except for some small hints in the way she speaks and acts at certain points but it is clear to ascertain that she has been formed by the cruel husband who died.  This made me truly admire her strength of character even more as I read more and found out more about her past.

William Ransome, a minister, comes into the novel at the time Cora steps out from the city and into the countryside to allow herself space away from her past.  She is formally introduced to Will as well as Stella, his wife, and their three children.  Will is a man of faith who is battling against a mass hysteria among his congregation who believe that an old mythical creature has come to their village to avenge some sort of sin on their part. Will's pragmatic approach to all that he is faced with is extremely charming to most but he and Cora persistently debate the world in terms of science vs. creation and nature vs. religion. Will is an extraordinarily caring husband and father to his family.  His flaws shown throughout remind us that everyone is human and can make mistakes - nobody should be expected to be perfect. I really enjoyed Will as a character because he was not predictable in ways that we would have expected.  There was always a sense of conflict he faced between morality and his own thoughts.

Francis Seaborne is Cora's son and a boy who presents behaviours typical of what may now be diagnosed as Asperger's Syndrome.  Francis finds it hard to show his emotions in normal, acceptable ways.  He loves his mother and cares deeply about her but never demonstrates this to her which constantly makes her doubt their relationship.  Francis is a collector of various strange objects.  He likes everything to be exactly where he puts it and not to be touched, moved or thrown away by anyone but him.  As a character Francis Seaborne evokes in me a very strong emotional response.  He is a lonely boy who is desperate for attention and affection from those around him.

Narrative and Writing Style

The novel is written in the third person perspective which allows more depth and exploration of the individual characters, the plot on the whole and the travel to and from the destinations where the story takes place.  There are, however, points throughout where we hear from the characters directly in the form of letters that are written to and from each other.  This is a deeply effective way reminiscent of certain tropes of the female Gothic genre.

The novel displays a heavy Gothic presence throughout as it deals with many tropes that we would expect to see in a novel of the genre.

 Firstly the frame narrative of the myth of the "Essex Serpent" which really ties the whole story together - it is Cora's reason to visit Aldwinter and to become acquainted with the Ransome family.  The prologue guides us nicely into that mindset by starting off with a death.  The frame narrative works in collaboration with the concept of madness and superstition to cause confusion as to what is real and what is not.  When Joanna Ransome and her friend, Naomi, get together they bring forward the concept of witchcraft and the occult.  They are seen performing rituals and spells and have a firm belief that they can influence events to come. 

Darkness and Isolation are also very clearly present from the cold, dark nights in Aldwinter to the black mourning clothes Cora wears, to the weather and use of pathetic fallacy to highlight the sense of dread and danger surrounding the village.  The village itself is isolated - far away from the nearest towns and a misty walk along the coast at that.  Each of the characters face their own form of isolation also - Cora is isolated by her contrary opinions, her rash behaviour and erratic mindsets, Francis is isolated because of his inability to adhere to normalcy and expected social conventions, Will is isolated in his lonely belief that there is no monster and his want to put the hysteria to an end.  Each character is imprisoned by their actions, thoughts or beliefs.

Disease, death and the afterlife very much play a huge role throughout the novel.  Luke, the physician Cora meets when he is caring for her dying husband, is a surgeon at the forefront of his game.  He is a surgical leader taking risks and performing new surgeries well ahead of his time.  He is there for the death of Cora's husband and to care for Stella Ransome through her time of illness.

The church vs. atheism is an interesting dynamic in the role it plays within the development of the relationship between Will and Cora - they respect each other's intelligence despite the fact that neither of them can agree on very much.  Each discussion between them brings the creation vs. science argument.  Corruption within the church is also evident in the flaws demonstrated by Will (NO SPOILERS).

The style of this novel is reminiscent of the Anne Bronte novel "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" in which a woman and her young son travel to the countryside to escape the grief of the dysfunctional marriage she has faced.  In the same sense as Helen in "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" Cora seeks not only new knowledge and discoveries on her travels to Aldwinter but also to find herself and retrieve the person she really is rather than who her husband has made her.  The conflicting love interests and seemingly impossible relationships brought back fond memories of Anne Bronte's work for me which is perhaps one of the reasons I so thoroughly enjoyed it!

Setting
The setting of Aldwinter was quaint, eerie and just spooky enough to make you second guess what was about to emerge from the sea mist next.  With the social housing crisis of the late 1800s along with the Bryant and May strikes, the great dock strike of 1889 and the general unrest among the city of London there was an abundance of history to incorporate. Sarah Perry subtly wove each strand of the current events through her plot in a beautifully elegant narration.  The novel grabbed the opportunity to demonstrate the advances in medical sciences which were being made at the time.  This was something I particularly enjoyed - Perry took advantage of our historically rich culture to build a very realistic overview of life in the 1800s-early1900s in Britain.

 On the whole the setting of the story was used in a way that was almost magical.  The novel is historical but also creates a spin off world within reality which makes the reader question their own sense of reality.  The ongoing conflict of opinions and beliefs of the church and science make it relevant and memorable but the hat tip to the past (Salem witch hunt hysteria) is very clear throughout too.

I cannot recommend this novel highly enough it is a leading contender for me for my favourite book of the year - and I honestly did not expect to be saying that after reading "The Handmaid's Tale" earlier in the year.

Meg x