A Great and Terrible Beauty

Good title, isn’t it? There are some good things about this book by Libba Bray. It’s a gothic horror story for teens, with a well captured historical background and some sharp characterisations. Gemma Doyle is sent from India to an English boarding school after her mother dies, and discovers some friends and some magical powers in a kind of dark fairyland.

It’s a well-told story, but . . . But. Firstly, you can tell immediately it’s written by an American. I’m sure someone wiser than me can pinpoint what exactly that means, but I think it’s partly the lack of subtlety. I have a feeling I have written about this before. It’s as though the writers feel today’s readers are too stupid to get it without being spelt out, without realising this is how today’s readers become stupid – they never need to learn how to read properly. This is a very Feminist novel, where women are shown in every conceivable trap or prison possible, and consistently compared with the Lady of Shalott – in fact, the book opens with that poem. It’s also a Coming of Age novel, where the teens discover sexuality and the darker realities of the adult world. I wonder if anyone really does develop a surge of great wisdom at age sixteen and thereby never has to learn anything ever again? Rather terrifying.

How does a novel move from mediocre to brilliant? This is written well, and it has a pretty good plot. Why does it miss out on being great? There’s something missing. Some kind of depth – some kind of wisdom or understanding. Or maybe it just has the kind you get in a flash at the age of sixteen.