What are you reading? The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Noelia's contribution

The Book 

Source: Amazon

While going through my reading list, I came across Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale.

At the heart of the novel are two unforgettable women: Vida Winter, the legendary and reclusive author, and Margaret Lea, a young and reserved biographer called upon to unravel Vida's mysterious past. As their stories intertwine, Margaret delves into a labyrinth of secrets, family mysteries, and chilling revelations that blur the line between reality and fiction.

The opening chapters are a love letter to the world of books, immersing the reader in Margaret's idyllic life with her father, a bibliophile whose secondhand bookstore is a sanctuary of stories and secrets. Amid the musty scent of yellowed pages and whispered tales, Margaret turns her passion for reading into her profession, becoming a renowned biographer.

Another highlight of the novel is its fervent homage to 19th-century Gothic literature, evoking the sombre worlds of the Brontë sisters. Setterfield masterfully conjures an atmosphere thick with apprehension, where something as simple as a house becomes a character in its own right.

Finally, Setterfield skillfully weaves her narrative threads like an expert puppeteer, building tension with every turn of the page. She conceals the devastating truth like a secret whispered in a dark room until the final sentence, when the kaleidoscope of lives is revealed.

The Author

Source: X

Diane Setterfield is a British author born in 1965 in Englefield Green, Surrey, England. She studied French at the University of Bristol and later completed a PhD in 20th-century French literature. Before becoming a novelist, she worked as a university lecturer.

Setterfield achieved international success with her debut novel, The Thirteenth Tale (2006), a Gothic mystery that became a bestseller worldwide. She is known for her atmospheric storytelling, literary style, and themes of memory, identity, and secrets. Other notable works include Once Upon a River (2018).