By Pauline Georgiou @littl.miss.bookworm
Johanna van Veen’s My Darling Dreadful Thing is a haunting and poignant contribution to the modern Gothic literary tradition. Set against the bleak and battered backdrop of post-war Netherlands, the novel masterfully conjures a world where physical decay mirrors emotional and spiritual ruin. In this shattered landscape, grief becomes a sentient force, and the past refuses to rest quietly beneath the surface. Van Veen invites readers into a story where memory is not merely a function of the mind but a living, spectral presence that infiltrates every corner of her characters' lives.
At the heart of the novel is Roos Beckman, a woman adrift in mourning, tethered to the ghost of Ruth—a spectral companion who is more than a figment of loss. Ruth’s presence is not benign or passive; she lingers with a kind of melancholic intensity that suggests both comfort and suffocation. Roos’s bond with Ruth transcends typical ghostly visitations; it is intimate, obsessive, and emotionally fraught. Through Ruth, van Veen explores the paralysis of unresolved grief and the complex ways in which trauma embeds itself within the psyche.
The arrival of the enigmatic widow Agnes Knoop introduces a fresh, equally complex layer to the narrative. Agnes becomes a catalyst for emotional upheaval, awakening Roos to desires that blur the boundaries between love, longing, and fear. Their relationship crackles with suppressed passion and existential dread, embodying the Gothic tension between yearning and terror. It is a romance shaped by shadows, secrets, and the uncanny—an unsettling, queer dynamic that fits squarely within the tradition of Gothic obsession.
Van Veen’s prose is richly atmospheric, dense with imagery and lyrical undertones. Her language evokes crumbling manors, storm-beaten landscapes, and the internal turbulence of her characters. Though the novel’s ending feels somewhat rushed in comparison to its deliberate build-up, the emotional and thematic resonance remains intact. My Darling Dreadful Thing is a deeply immersive tale for those drawn to queer Gothic fiction, psychological horror, and love stories wrapped in mist and mourning.
Published by Poisoned Pen
*The book is sold in many Greek bookstores.