My Darling Dreadful Thing

This book is going to stick with me. It was slow, but deliciously so. I loved how conflicted I was if what Roos said was true or if she truly was mad due to her past trauma. I felt so much when reading this - sadness, happiness, nervousness. This one will stick with me for a long time.

The writing was beautiful. I love the old style of speaking language that Roos had in both conversations, but also in her POV. I really hope she gets her happy ending.

I think my favorite thing about My Darling Dreadful Thing is the overall idea. If I just read an outline of the concept with the biggest plot points and the ending, I’d love it. So basically I’d love a synopsis, I guess.

Agnes and Wilemijn felt very one-dimensional, and even Roos, the MC, didn’t feel fully developed to me. We got more information about her than anyone else, and it was easier to understand her and relate to or sympathize with her because of that, but it’s still not enough as I think it could have been. I felt bad for Roos because of her upbringing and her life experiences, but I also found her kind of annoying and it was hard to get past that.

Every couple chapters, there’s a short transcript of an interview between Roos and a doctor that takes place after the events of the book. The interviews make it clear that Roos is an unreliable narrator, and I did enjoy that aspect quite a bit.

I did love Ruth, and that Johanna van Veen took inspiration from bog bodies to explain her origins and why there aren’t a ton of spirits wandering around everywhere. Ruth’s fierce overprotection of and loyalty towards Roos was creepy, but kind of in a sweet way, considering the lack of affection Roos had all her life. I loved the descriptions of the way Ruth possessed Roos and used her body for various tasks, like performing the séances.

The writing in general was great, in first person from Roos’ perspective (with the exception of the interview transcriptions). The story takes place in the 50s but Roos uses somewhat antiquated language which is both lovely and a bit haunting. There’s some descriptive language in My Darling Dreadful Thing which paints a beautiful picture I truly wish I could see. For those who can visualize, I bet something wonderful can be found in the descriptions of the house Roos is brought to live.

Aside from a few character complaints, I feel like this is a book I should have loved, but I when I ask myself if I liked it and attempt to answer the question simply, my answer is “it was okay.”

Before you decide to read this book, look into the trigger warnings!

This book was so intriguing, and I think the author does a very VERY good job of treating these harsh subjects with the weight and respect it needs.

This book left me aching for more, while also having a great ending.

Oh my god I love this! I just wanna give Roos a hug. I think I'm gonna need some time to process this beautiful story. But I for sure found myself another comfort book. There's just something about Gothic literature that really attracts me so easily.

And the addition of the Doctor's transcripts lowkey gave me Sucker Punch vibes for some reason.

I also did not expect this to be a love story. It's quite beautiful yet so very tragic.

3.5 ⭐️

This turned out to be a pretty good gothic tale with writing that reminding me of A Dowry of Blood, not that it's written as a conglomeration of letters but the way the author puts words together was almost poetic and I enjoyed it.

An extremely short summary to this story is that it follows a girl who has a ghost friend who protects her or gets her to do bad things. Most chapters are formed with her talking about her past and then ending with her talking to her therapist who is trying to decide if she's psychotic or just evil for her court trial. As the story goes on you start to wonder if there actually was a supernatural creature making her do things or is she just deranged herself.

I almost gave this 4 stars but for some reason it kind of dropped off for me towards the end and I don't really know why, however I think it's worth reading regardless.

I just finished My Darling Dreadful thing by Johanna Van Veen and here are my thoughts.
Roos Beckman has a gift. Her mama uses her to make people believe they are being contacted by their deceased loved ones... In reality Roos has a spirit companion only she can see, the spirit she calls Ruth.... One that takes over her body during these seances to fool the people that come.


When Agnes Knoop, a beautiful young and wealthy widow attends one of the seances, she does something Roos never expected... She looks right at Ruth. No one has ever noticed Ruth before. When Agnes offers Roos mother a handsome sum of money to take Roo away with her, her mother agrees. The estate is falling apart and the real reason Agnes brings her to the place has become apparent. With Agne's sister in law sick and ailing, the house smells like death but the relationship between Roo and Agnes grows closer.
Something happens at the estate that leaves someone dead and Roos is on trial for the murder. The story she has to tell not only sheds light on what happened that night but also on her sanity.
This was a really dark book. We get the story in 2 ways. The flashbacks to the past starting with Roos and being exploited and starved by her mother and then in the form of her interview with a specialist to see if she was crazy during her murder trial. I wasn't a fan of the short hand in the interviews. Miss K, W -. It got confusing trying to decipher who they were talking about. Why didn't the author just write the name or short hand it to one type instead of Miss K sometimes and then W. Plus having a Mrs K and a Miss K... UGHHHHHHH.
That was probably my only real issue with the book. I didn't want to have to think that hard ya know. The book really builds slowly but the whole time it is eerie and you can really feel the atmosphere building.. Gets the heart racing just a little bit at a time. ‘
There is a lot to unpack in this book. Mental health, abuse, family drama, incest, a lot of religious zealotism with the chapel and the statues... Enough to set my teeth on edge! Loved the classic creepy house gothic vibes and it was really well written. Has some Sapphic romance in there too which I actually quite enjoyed. You can see how these two young women with a lot in common could end up feeling a certain way about each other and it was tastefully done.
Definitely an unusual read but I enjoyed the heck out of it and for a debut... WOWWWWW
4.5 stars


Thank you @poisonpenpress and @netgalley for my gifted copy. Released yesterday so grab a copy now.

Things I've learned this year:

1. I am a total sucker for Gothic novels!

2. Make it sapphic and I'll love it even more.

This has both of these things and so much more. Loved the atmosphere and the story.

What an odd book. Unique & atmospheric, I've never read something quite like it. Gives me Shirley Jackson vibes in a good way. Really enjoyed how unique the storyline and these characters are. Grotesque and unflinching, yet sometimes soft and thought provoking.

Van Veen has put Gothic Horror on my list of favorite genres! I could not put this book down. Dark and deranged while simultaneously being compassionate and loving and apprehensive.