After Louise: A Forgotten Gothic Gem?

For my first read in Women in Horror Month I decided to dig out After Louise by Teresa Crane from my mystery purchase pile. Some explanation is needed here. I try to buy most of my books in person at used book stores but every couple months I will buy stuff online and when I do I try to buy stuff I have been looking for but can't find at stores or I will buy books I can't find any information on and am intrigued enough to buy because it's under 5 bucks. After Louise is the latter situation and it's fascinating. There is almost no information online about the out of print dark romance line this was part of and it appears to be a UK only paperback original. Paperback originals as mentioned previously on this blog, were novels written explicitly for the cheap paperback market and almost never released as hardbacks. Fontana's Nightshades line appears to be a failed dark romance line for this market and after reading Crane's novel I'm surprised it failed. Featuring eye catching all black covers with gold foiled titles and painted cover images these books look great. My idea for their probable failure is the subject matter since the line states that they are covering the "darker" side of love mainly obsession and passion twisted in some way. These stories are not safe dime a dozen bodice rippers rather they go back to the roots of the gothic as first written by say Bronte, full of brooding tortured men and horrifying family secrets. So what is After Louise about?

Fontana's 1982 paperback

Opening with a little girl murdering a fellow playmate we as the reader, are left to hold onto that little tidbit as we're introduced to the main character Jill Adams. Recently relocated to England's north country to settle the affairs of her artist husband's dead mother she's forced to confront how little she knows of his past. Mysteries pile on themselves and when he becomes enraged at her pregnancy she is left to wonder does she actually know the man she's married and is his past truly inconsequential? This was a great short novel. Clocking in at a tidy 219 pages Teresa Crane keeps a consistent level of dread sustained all the way to the ominous ending. Jill is a likable character even though as a modern reader you might shake your head at the 14 year age gap between her and her husband. She isn't hysterical and the way she uncovers each clue that leads to the reveal of Louise the character is realistic. Praise once again has to go to Crane in how she layers unnerving imagery and feeling and her choice of making the brooding, handsome husband a fantasy artist is used impeccably. The fact that early on his painting of a drowning little girl encircled by water sprites is said to be one of his best in months is a great breadcrumb she drops for the reader. She also utilizes the weather and isolation of her setting to great effect to mirror the unpredictable husband. I tried to find information on Teresa Crane and it seems she continued writing in the romance genre but based on the strengths in this novel I'm surprised she didn't try her hand at horror or suspense. In any case this was a truly pleasant surprise and if you can track down a copy of this it is worth a read. Outside of the opening it's not particularly violent relying instead on implications and second hand tellings but it's well done. So if you are in the mood for a solid, dread filled gothic romance which stays light on the romance and high on chills definitely check this out. Well that's my review. Are there any gothic romances you're a fan of? Ever been pleasantly surprised by an impulse read? As always the comments are open and for the latest news about posts please subscribe or give a follow. 'Til next time!