The best known for her work to explore the Victorian death culture on her website Burials & Beyond, and for her performances in paranormal television shows, including BBC Three’s ‘Paranormal’ with Sian Eleri, ‘Jonathan Ross chased homecoming’, Katte novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this novel of this roman.
‘Contributed’ draws heavily from 19th-century Gothic literature, but adds a modern psychological turn, especially in how it investigates trauma and gender roles. The dialogue is sharp, especially some of the more oppressive characters, and the use of diary entries and letters creates a crawling sense of doubt.
With a strong Shirley Jackson atmosphere everywhere, ‘enters’ a psychological gothic horror is set in the late Victorian era. The story follows Alice, a woman whose already fragile grip on reality starts to break when she returns to Duncain, a crumbling estate thick with secrets. The book dives into themes of isolation, inheritance, sadness and the fine line between madness and spooky.
While the story unfolds, the reader must wonder whether the horrors of Alice are the result of spiritual interference, psychological collapse or something that is even more treacherous. It is this refusal to clarify that gives the book its disturbing power.
Kate’s background in Victorian spiritism is clear everywhere, but it is never pretends. Instead of making the story a lecture about mourning jewels or salonis islands, the historic detail is woven into the structure of the novel – with seans, trances, mourning rituals and even regular ectoplasma that appears in ways that are well -founded and credible, making this an attractive lecture.
‘Meaning’ is not a spring scare or Stephen King-Stijl horrorroman. It is not a ghost story in the traditional sense, nor is it particularly bloody or violent. Instead, the horror of claustrophobia comes from atmosphere and of the uncertainty about what is not real and not.
Some readers will crave answers that the novel deliberately entails. But for fans of psychological horror, or for those who enjoy gothic stories where the house, the history and the spirit of the character all seem to fade together, ‘entry’ delivers exactly the right kind of uneasures.
There are intentional gaps in logic, sudden tone shifts and an absence of neat resolution where more traditional horror can offer answers. But this is not a book about spirits in the conventional sense. It is about control, imprisonment and how women’s voices are historically dismissed, contain or remain silent.
Kate Cherrell’s ‘begotten’ is deep atmospheric, psychologically intense and rooted in a sharp understanding of historical spiritism and how these forces could be used to manipulate, especially at a time when the voices of women were often considered emotional or unstable.
