Diavola | Gothic Horror Novel Review
Diary Entry 2
As if January wasn’t already scary enough, I have decided to read a horror novel! But Diavola isn’t just any old horror novel, oh no, it’s a Gothic horror novel, or so the cover proclaimed. I will be honest: the whole reason I chose this book, well, there are two,. The first is that it was on a GoodReads List of Gothic novels, but the second, and most important, is that cover! I already admitted in the last post that I often judge books by their covers, and this one does not disappoint.
Diavola tells the story of a young artist called Anna who goes on holiday to a villa in Tuscany with her dysfunctional family. The Villa Taccola appears to be the perfect spot for a holiday, but it soon becomes apparent that things are not as they seem. The storyline focuses as much on the horror of the supernatural as well as the horror of the real-life family. How much can Anna take? We shall soon find out…
Immediately, this novel opened uniquely. Yes, the classic supernatural events occurring throughout the novel cause suspense and fear in the reader, but there is also something else. The family are dysfunctional, but not in an unbelievable way and much of the terror in this story revolves around them and their actions. Without wanting to give too much away, it seems that Anna is fighting a battle on multiple fronts; herself, her family, and the dreaded La Dama Bianca are all out to get her.
Thorne does an incredible job of characterising the family, giving them realistic traits, but also making them appear absolutely, comically unkind. Anna is a headstrong young woman and provides much of the humour throughout the book with her sarcastic replies and amusing thoughts. Dialogue in this novel is used with great care and to subsequent effect, illustrating with ease the dynamics and tensions in families, especially when on holiday.
Anna is interested in the history and Art of Tuscany and frequently leaves the family to explore alone. This plot device is genius, not only in the way it carries the paranormal elements and gives them more depth but also in the way it enriches the book and makes a second, even third, read seem desirable. For me, this historical element involved me more in the story, gave me a mystery to solve alongside Anna, and somehow, the more invested I became, the more terrified I became, too!
There is only one bad thing I can say about this novel and that is the end. Once Anna leaves Tuscany and returns to her apartment in New York, the scares seem almost cheap in the modern, and presumably fairly safe, environment of New York. I felt the last quarter of the novel stretched on too long, and the ending played to the audience rather than, I feel, to the author’s actual intentions. This made the finale seem a little disjointed and spoiled what otherwise would have been the perfect novel.
Overall, I would rate this book as a solid 8/10. I am not sure how Gothic, necessarily it was, other than the haunted house element, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Anna is an excellent character who is easy to fall in love with and is willing to follow through the story. The novel taught me a lot about myself and showed, in a very frightening way, what can happen when a human being is pushed to the edge of their emotional limit. I highly recommend
