Bluebeard's Castle

I enjoyed the author’s movie The Love Witch, so I was interested in trying her book. It’s a unique project, though it reminded me of Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen in its engagement with gothic literature. Biller definitely goes in a different direction with it!

I wanted to like this more, but I enjoyed the first 1/3-1/2 more than the rest. It gets quite repetitive through the middle. It makes sense - that’s what happens in domestic violence situations - but it wasn’t used here in a way that felt like it escalated. I do appreciate the examination of how gaslighting and lovebombing works. It reminded me a little of My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. They both touch on how a woman might be resistant to seeing a man for what he truly is because of what it means she has to admit about herself (that she was raped, that she was tricked and manipulated).

The writing often left a lot to be desired, but it’s hard to know how much was intentional. The tone was inconsistent in a jarring way for me sometimes. It’d be full of melodrama with tears and flowery description, and then suddenly there’d be a mundane line like “Phew, that was a close call.”

I wish the book had gone further with its exploration of the appeal of dark romance. I also wish it had been more supernatural in the way gothic novels often are. There’s a good idea here that just fell a little flat for me.