Bookish Thoughts: The Evening Spider by Emily Arsenault

HARTFORD, Sept. 5, 1878--The dead body of Mary E. Stannard, 22 years old, was found at Durham, hear the border of Madison, on Tuesday night. ~ Opening of The Evening Spider 

The Evening Spider by Emily Arsenault

William Morrow, 2016

Fiction (Psychological Thriller; 400 pgs

Source: NetGalley/Edelweiss

The Evening Spider is set in both the present and the past, following the lives of two women, both obsessed with uncovering the truth.

Frances Barnett has spent the last few years locked in the Northampton Lunatic Hospital. She shares her story with a visitor, telling of how she came to be there, including her marriage to a respected attorney, the birth of her daughter, and the events that followed. Frances has always been interested in science and logic, and has never been content to lead the traditional life expected of a woman during her time in the mid to late 1800's. She would rather examine things under her brother's microscope than cook a meal or sew. Her husband humors here to a degree, but she is still expected to perform her wifely duties in terms of maintaining the household. Frances finds pleasure in hearing about her husband Matthew's cases, especially the one involving a murder.

Motherhood does not come easy for Frances. She doubts herself and her abilities. Slowly we see Frances begin to go so far as to question her sanity. She becomes obsessed with the murder trial of a reverend accused of murdering a young woman, needing to know every detail. Her husband grows increasingly worried about her, calls in an outside doctor for advice, and from there, things only get worse for Frances.

In alternating chapters, the reader is introduced to Abby Bernacki, a young mother who has taken a year off from her teaching career to stay home with her baby. She's restless and a bit bored, but also feels anxious and begins to isolate herself. When her daughter suffers an unexplained injury, Abby begins to wonder if her house may be haunted. She's sure she heard someone in the room with her daughter when no one should have been there. As her paranoia increases, Abby seeks out the history of her house that once belonged to Matthew Barnett and his wife Frances.

I love stories like this, the kind that have you wondering if there is something supernatural at play or if it is something more reality based. Both Frances and Abby may have suffered from Postpartum Depression--some of the symptoms are there. It would explain so much. And yet. . . There is definitely more to it than that. Or so it seems.

The novel has a sort of Gothic, creepy feel to it, and I found myself glued to the book, wanting to know just what was going on. I liked how the two threads, the past and the present story-lines were laid out--seeing them come together as they did. As Frances looks into the real life murder of Mary Stannard, she also keeps a journal, a journal which Abby uses to help piece together Frances' life in the hopes of finding her own answers. Abby's own past comes to the fore during the book. The death of a roommate in college haunts her to this day. It seemed a bit out of left field in some ways, but the author manages to tie it in to my satisfaction.

Frances and Abby were both such interesting women. I really felt for Frances, having to go through all she did--not to mention how trapped she felt, a woman living in that time period.  It was her story I was most drawn to, as I often am in books with two time-lines. The historical story-line is often my favorite. I wasn't sure what to think of Abby initially. It took a while for me to warm up to her, but on some level I could relate to her, and, like her, I wanted to get to the truth.

There have been some readers who were quite disappointed in the end, and because I do not want to spoil it for anyone, I will only say that I can see where they are coming from. Still, I disagree. I liked it quite a bit. Sometimes big red bows do not belong on the final pages of a book.

The Evening Spider is a dark and suspenseful novel. A sense of dread hung over me throughout, as the tension built and the story unfolded. This was my first book by Emily Arsenault, but it will not be my last.

To learn more about Emily Arsenault and her work, please visit the author's website. She can also be found on Goodreads and Facebook.

Challenge Requirement Met for COYER.

---

© 2016, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.