Unspeakable Horror!

The Master of Seacliff by Max Pierce is a wonderful re-invention of the gothic genre with queer elements (many classics in the gothic genre have implicit queer elements -- this novel magnifies them and makes them explicit).  Click the cover icon on the right (under Featured Books and Films) to purchase. 

One of my favorite aspects of this novel (I have many that I will discuss) is the intertextuality with gothic classics.  I was aware of connections between the novel and Jane Eyre, Rebecca (I'm thinking of the Hitchcock movie, which I understand is pretty close to the book), and Dorian Gray.  I'm sure there are more connections that I didn't pick up.  I'm going to use these complex connections as way to discuss what I loved about Seacliff. 

I'm reading Dorian Gray right now, so the Dorian Gray subtext in Seacliff seemed especially prominent.  Andrew Wyndham, the young narrator, is aware of Oscar Wilde's trial and uses Wilde's unspeakable-ness as a point of reference for his own homosexuality.  Andrew is a novice painter, and at one point in the novel he interviews with a famous painter in New York about becoming an apprentice.  The scene in the studio makes explicit what is implicit in Wilde's novel.  Dorian Gray is an object of homoerotic beauty in Wilde's novel, and the famous painter in Seacliff has many paintings of the beautiful Steven Charles, a kind of Dorian Gray-esque figure in the novel -- extremely beautiful, but corrupt.   There is one painting of Steven Charles in particular that figures prominently in the love triangle between Andrew, Steven, and Duncan Stewart (he is the Master of Seacliff -- a figure with shades of Rochester from Jane Eyre), and it is this painting that reminded me the most of the Picture of Dorian Gray.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  The novel begins with the journey of young Andrew to the gothic Seacliff estate where Andrew will work as a tutor.  I love the queering of the archetypal Jane Eyre story here.  Like young Jane Eyre, Andrew encounters mystery and intrigue with the shadowy master of the estate.  

The characters in the novel, while connecting to other characters in gothic fiction, are individually created with wonderful success.  Duncan Stewart may have shades of Rochester, but he is no archetype -- he is a wonderful, stormy, brooding character who comes alive along with young Andrew, the protagonist and narrator.   

The beautiful Steven Charles (from the painting mentioned above) is missing from the novel, similar to the beautiful and mysterious Rebecca.  There are more intriguing connections between these two characters, but I will stop here before I spoil anything.  Even though he is missing, he figures prominently in a triangle between Andrew and Duncan.  

Steven Charles also serves as the shadow figure for Andrew.  In this sense, the painting of Steven could be considered a psychic, distorted mirror of Andrew.  Like the shadow figure, Steven embodies opposites of Andrew while maintaining a strong connection.  In many ways, Andrew becomes the replacement for Steven, like the protagonist becoming the replacement for Rebecca in the Hitchcock film.  

I've mentioned previously in this blog that doubling is one of my favorite elements of gothic and horror, and this novel has numerous, fascinating doubling relationships between the characters.   In fact, I think I could write a full-blown essay about the doubles in the novel (maybe I will). 

There are many surprises in the novel that I don't want to expose here, but the surprises are key to what makes this a wonderful exploration of gothic archetypes. 

One more thing: I loved the creation of Seacliff as a character in the novel.  It is subtly characterized throughout, playing a prominent role in the climax at the end (along with many other elements).  This is also similar to Rebecca's Manderlay.  Having recently studied Haunted Houses, I found the characterization of this gothic house to be very well done. 

I will definitely need to write more about this novel, but I also want to pitch it as an excellent, entertaining read.  I read pieces every night before going to bed, and I stretched out the reading over several weeks, and now I definitely miss the characters and the building mystery and suspense throughout.  Purchase the book with the link on the right!  You will love it.