My Darling Dreadful Thing

A Novel

By: Johanna van Veen

Narrated by: Jess Nesling

Goodreads Most Anticipated Horror of 2024

Spirits are drawn to salt, be it blood or tears.

Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see. Ruth—strange, corpse-like, and dead for centuries—is the light of Roos' life. That is, until the wealthy young widow Agnes Knoop visits one of Roos' backroom seances, and the two strike up a connection.

Soon, Roos is whisked away to the crumbling estate Agnes inherited upon the death of her husband, where an ill woman haunts the halls, strange smells drift through the air, and mysterious stone statues reside in the family chapel. Something dreadful festers in the manor, but still, the attraction between Roos and Agnes is undeniable.

Then, someone is murdered.

Poor, alone, and with a history of 'hysterics', Roos is the obvious culprit. With her sanity and innocence in question, she'll have to prove who—or what—is at fault or lose everything she holds dear.

"A Sapphic seance of preternatural proportions, My Darling Dreadful Thing summons a stunning new literary voice to be reckoned with. Johanna van Veen reaches beyond the veil to conjure up a gothic shocker like no other."—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother and Ghost Eaters

©2024 Johanna van Veen (P)2024 Tantor

All the Gothic Goodness!

This novel is absolutely saturated with gothic goodness, and for the most part it is an enjoyable read for fans of the genre. As is the case with too many horror novels, though, the ending was lackluster. The story is a slow burn, creating the expectation that something intriguing will ultimately happen to horrify or, at least, unnerve the reader. No such luck, though, and the final chapters of this books are simply dull, the landing botched. That said, everything else about this novel is absolutely on point, so I'm trying not to be too mad. The decaying estate surrounded by a treacherous bog mirroring the mental decay of its inhabitants...all great stuff. Fans of Turn of the Screw will delight in this story, which draws heavily from that classic. In addition, everything about this novel was made better by the exceptional narration of Jess Nesling.

Wonderful!

The narrator is perfect. The story is fascinating, haunting, and surprisingly sweet. I love it! Definitely will revisit come next Halloween.

Holds Out Until the Last Minute

Empathetic and respectful. An interesting statement on mental health. Kept my attention the entire time. I didn’t want to miss anything

I took a chance on something outside my wheelhouse and was incredibly surprised!!!!

Details both introspective and pleasantly articulated, without the overbearing nuances some authors waste pages on, pulled me into this story immediately. The author didn't hesitate, through long winded narratives, to deliver the odd circumstances of the main character right away, quickly giving her immediate depth. Changes in perspective with forward jumping glimpses into consequence offered another layer toward the story's climax. I usually delve into the realms of science fiction or fantasy with a splash of horror every now and then, so this wasn't precisely outside my purview but I was surprised how quickly I became engrossed in this book. I very highly recommend "My Darling Dreadful Thing" to anyone looking for a good read and/or listen!

Bleak and Heartwarming

The narrator did a lovely job. The story was excellent. I enjoyed very much. Would recommend