The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield

Publisher: Atria Books

ISBN: 9780743298025

Subject: Fiction, Mystery

The book starts off simply and quietly, the first section labeled only "Beginnings." Then comes the loquaciousness of Ms. Setterfield. Published in 2006, its a moderately-paced novel only slowed down by the eloquence and imagery evident in the writing. What begins as an ordinary tale with little going on and few characters becomes a fascinating and deeply woven mystery full of intrigue, ghosts, and several life stories that leave nothing wanting.

I find that the problem with the most recent movies and books is that they move too quickly with too little focus on a single subject. Therefore The Thirteenth Tale was a delightful reprieve, fully focused on its subject and characters, while moving slow enough to enjoy the meticulous writing. If, as a writer, you are looking for a good example of the rule "show, don't tell," this novel is perfect. My favorite piece from the novel (and a slight spoiler here) is how Ms. Setterfield takes a few chapters to lead her readers into understanding that the Missus has dementia. Ms. Setterfield never comes right out and says it, not even a round-about way. Instead gives little bits and pieces, here and there, to show how the Missus came to have dementia, when it was realized by each character, and how it affected the story as a whole. Examples like this have lengthened the story to the edge of moving too slowly, but the language with which Ms. Setterfield writes makes it all bearable and adds to the building climax and a satisfying denouement. 

As the inside jacket reads: "The Thirteenth Tale is a love letter to reading, a book for the feral reader in all of us..." After finishing the novel, it is very easy to understand this description. Ms. Setterfield uses the love of books as a base for the entire story and all the sub-stories within. The jacket also reads: "It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire." This passage presented plenty of topics, all of which seemed incredibly distant from each other. By the end of the story, it was clear how each topic heavily influence the story, especially the ghost. Though mentioned frequently, it was always passively, until it became an afterthought. Only with the last section of the book, "Endings," was its importance revealed.

Personal Opinion: It starts slow, and the eloquent writing was the only thing that kept me going. By the time I had passed the first half, I was invested and wanting to know what happened. When I finally reached the climax, I was not disappointed in the surprise waiting for me. My favorite character was John Digence, aka: John-the-dig, who loves the topiary gardens.  In short, it's worth the read.