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A young woman who had a diffcult life marries a handsome, rich widower and moves to his large estate. There she learns of his first wife who was known for her beauty and high social status. Coming across many of her things still lying around, she inevitably starts compering herself to her afraid that she will never leave her shadow.
The main character’s insecurity is obvious from the very start and is described unobtrusively, but clearly. Maybe I shouldn’t mention this, but on some level it reminded me of how I often felt myself.
My mom has been telling me for years to read this book, but I hesitated wondering if it would be too dark for me. However, she described it as a dark fairy tale and I think this is the best way to look at it – it has a unique, melancholic atmosphere and you can immediately sense that things are not quite right, but it is not scary or exciting in a way a horror or even a thriller would be. This is an elegant story that builds slowly and creates a feeling that there is something important that neither the main character nor the reader have been told.
The book is long, but easy to read and I flew through it.
Class differences are well depicted – people immediately start treating you differently if they realize you have money or know someone who does. The society of that time was very formal and maintaining a specific image was the most important thing for everyone. Simultaneously, we can see just how wrong this is as people focus only on what they can see on the surface, never wondering what’s behind it, even if there are sings to suggest that things are not quite the way they seem.
We can see how dangerous it can be to imagine things yourself without actually trying to find out the truth and, in this context, how valuable proper communication is.
This was a great book – elegant and atmospheric, with many important topics in it.