Genre - Historical Fiction, Gothic

I have long been drawn to a good Gothic tale. YA wasn’t nearly as well developed a genre when I was a YA - so I read adult works when very young. I cleared the Victoria Holt shelf at my little public library and enjoyed them thoroughly. Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis evoked that feeling in me. I also love that the book is about sisters. Sylvie and Charlotte grew up in a rather unconventional home in 19th century Paris. In it, they learned to become very effective false mediums. Together with their mother, they defrauded a fair amount of people - pretending to contact the spirits “haunting” them for one reason or another. After their mother passes away, the sisters’ lives become very difficult as their father resorts to drunkenness and abuse. As a young woman, Sylvie marries Baron Alexandre Devereux - in part out of love, in part to save her sister from jail from a job that went bad. To do so, she must cut all ties with her family. Charlotte feels deserted, left alone with their father. Both are extremely frustrated and angry with each other. Years pass, and one day Charlotte shows up and asks for one more performance.

The setting here is particularly divine. Lowkis recreates so well (at least based on my reading and movie watching experience) the culture of the era: particularly the restrictions faced by young women and the lgbtq+ community. Also, dances and duels abound. I have read a fair amount about the medium/fraud/spirit situation of the times and was pleased with how Lowkis illustrated it here. For a while I was wondering if a real spirit might appear, an excellent plot wrinkle. The struggle based on miscommunication and misunderstanding between the sisters is fascinating. I can relate so well to the older sister, and I imagine my sister could relate equally well to the younger. Their love for each other shows in spite of the very real frustrations. A well developed cast of characters: surround the sisters. Through them the illustration of the culture of Paris is strengthened. The layering is lovely in terms of how the themes are developed in a variety of ways among these characters. Several times I thought things were resolving, and then Lowkis creates a new twist - sustaining suspense throughout. Without spoilers, the uncertainty of the ending seems perfectly on point. The use of a child’s fairy tale to frame the action and provide for the title was a lovely literary touch.

I am struggling a bit about where to focus my third paragraph energy. I suppose at the end of the day as a person who is struggling a bit to create a new kind of life with a different direction than that to which I’m accustomed, Lowkis is clearly a reminder that change is always possible - not always easy - but possible. I love the example that both Sylvie and Charlotte set in their commitments to their goals, but who are ultimately willing to admit mistakes and keep trying in new directions as needed. A problem for me is, perhaps, the lack of a clear goal. I always knew that was a retirement issue for me. But I am finding delight in trying a variety of different kinds of things. Teaching never allowed for much time for other endeavors - even at home (ask my kids). And that thought takes me to the memories evoked for me of my young reading life in this title. I very much enjoyed the kind of timeless feel of this debut title. I am grateful to Carmela Lowkis’ Spitting Gold for reminding me how long I have loved to read gothic work! Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.