Sometimes, reading challenges introduce me to books I never would have read otherwise that totally sweep me off of my feet. Other times, they introduce me to books that make me go “WTF did I just read?” This is one of the latter books.
Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito is the kind of Gothic where every single person is terrible, and everything is terrible, and every scene is described with the most terrible words. It’s a book without a single moment of true pleasantness to be found. It’s so over-the-top in its misery that it actually failed to horrify me, because I quickly grew completely inured to the disgusting things happening on every page.
Many Gothic novels give us a governess or some other young woman who is somewhat innocent and has to face the horrors of the crumbling old house and the people within. But Victorian Psycho asks “What if the governess was actually the worst of the lot?” And honestly, I think some readers will really see the dark humor in that and enjoy it. I thought it was a good premise, I just found the execution a little too crass for my tastes.
The biggest thing this book has going for it, in my mind, is that it’s just a novella. I read most of it in a single night and then finished it in the morning. I can’t say I exactly enjoyed the reading experience, but I couldn’t stop turning the pages. It’s very well-paced, with one “shock” leading into the next, always keeping you wondering what horrible thing Winifred Notty will say or do next, while the Pound family snipes and simpers around her. And because it’s so short, it doesn’t have time to overstay its welcome.
One reason why I put a library hold on this was because it was a hotly anticipated release for 2025. Like getting buzz from Oprah. I know unpleasant female characters are having a moment, but I do wonder if people are prepared for how disgusting this book is. Who knows. I’ve skipped most of the really unpleasant books that were buzzy these past few years, so I don’t know exactly how gross those can get. Maybe this is actually a normal level of disgust for a mainstream book these days.
Victorian Psycho is being promoted as “literary horror”, and I’d really love someone to tell me what makes a horror novel “literary” because I strongly suspect it’s “the publisher said so.” There’s a lot of horror out there using the genre to explore big issues and complex characters. And this book is considering the social situation of the Victorian times, but mostly it reads like a penny dreadful, which is the absolute opposite of “literary.” I do think it’s meant to intentionally evoke those early pulpy books, as it includes a few illustrations of the style I would have expected in a penny dreadful (I think they might even be from the era, as I didn’t see any illustrator credits).
In doing a little research for this review, I see that Feito wrote this book during the pandemic, and honestly, that explains a lot. The book I wrote in 2021 will probably never see the light of day because it’s very much a pandemic book in which I processed my feelings not just about lockdown, but also about the awful job I was in at the time. Some people may in fact find Winifred giving into her darkest urges cathartic, especially when her actions are framed against the misogyny, classism, and ableism of the Victorian era.
I want to take a moment to discuss sexuality (I know, big surprise). Winifred is bisexual, and has an infatuation with a maid during this story. I don’t know if Feito is part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and I don’t believe authors should have to out themselves to write queer characters. Still, I think it’s really up to the reader to decide whether Winifred is the disaster bisexual you love to hate/hate to love, or if her queerness is intended to be something else unpleasant about her, which would obviously be problematic. Personally, I did find it to be sympathetic, as she was living in a time when her desires for either sex might be seen as unseemly.
I definitely only recommend this to you if you’re the sort of reader who loves a very messed up book. If you’re easily grossed-out or need your main character to be likeable, definitely give Victorian Psycho a pass.
CWs and TWs: Oh my goodness, almost all of them. Violence against people and animals. So many dead babies. Descriptions of rotting things. Lots of sexually suggestive language. Reference to (but no on-page depiction of) pedophilia. Parental death. Murder. Fatphobia. Homophobia. Misogyny. Ableism. Classism. Did I mention the violence? It’s REALLY gory.
Source and Format: I borrowed the ebook from Sno-Isle Libraries.
Reading Challenge Prompts
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): WTF? I was pretty much saying WTF from page one, just based on the over-the-top unpleasant ways that Winifred narrated everything.
Brick & Mortar: Page to Screen. I specifically chose this book because before it was even published, it was apparently optioned as a horror film by A24. And you know what? I see it. This book is written in a really cinematic way, so that I could easily imagine the way certain scenes would really POP on the screen. I don’t think I would watch this film, I don’t really like gory movies, but I suspect it’s going to be a “good for her!” hit with a certain kind of viewer.
Reading Challenge Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 4 of 25, no bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 6 of 25, no bingos.
Book Riot: 6 of 25.
Physical TBR: 1 of 12.
Brick & Mortar: 15 of 25, 1 bingo*.
*I’ve completed several of the non-reading prompts, hence the mismatch with the number of reviews!
World of Whimm: 7 of 24, no bingos.