The Mist in the Mirror

December 2, 2013
Hill, as the author of 1983’s The Woman in Black, since adapted to both stage and screen, is no stranger to gothic novels. In this Victorian-set ghost story, narrator James Monmouth returns to London after years spent in the Far East retracing the steps of his hero, the late travel writer Conrad Vane. Weary from his journeys, Monmouth is eager to write Vane’s history and also explore his own family background. He becomes increasingly frustrated, though, when his questions about his idol are met only with pleas to abandon the project. Hill’s secondary characters are mostly developed in broad strokes—a sinister bookseller in a dusty emporium, a stern and imposing headmaster. As Monmouth’s health steadily worsens, two familiar gothic tropes take hold: his inexplicable terror at regular intervals and the frequent appearance of a ghost (in this case, a boy in rags standing at a distance, regarding Monmouth mournfully). Hill creates a spooky atmosphere for her tale (“Rain, rain all day, all evening, all night, pouring autumn rain”), which climaxes in a deserted mansion on a Scottish moor. But in place of a final terrifying revelation, Hill leaves Monmouth, and her readers, dissatisfied—haunted, even—by too many unanswered questions. Agent: Anne Borchardt, George Borchardt Literary Agency.

January 15, 2014
The moody countryside wanderings of an adventurer Hill (A Question of Identity, 2013, etc.) sends on a glacially paced adventure in search of the truth about his hero. After an unconventional childhood during which he was raised in Africa by a distant guardian, Sir James Monmouth has made his life traveling the world questing for adventure. He seeks in part to travel in the footsteps of his hero, the famous (or infamous) Conrad Vane. On his arrival in England, Monmouth plans to learn the history surrounding Vane, from his early life onward. Though all those he meets try to dissuade him from this quest, citing feelings of wariness and concern for Monmouth, he soldiers on, tracking down a surprising connection between Vane's life and his own. Once his research becomes personal, Monmouth is more determined than ever to learn about Vane's history as well as his own. With the help and support of his new friend Lady Quincebridge, Monmouth traces his origins to the mysterious and remote Kittiscar Hall. Although Lady Quincebridge insists that Monmouth give up when the madness of researching Vane begins to infect him as an illness, Monmouth cannot rest until he understands how their lives are intertwined. His journey to Kittiscar Hall holds secrets that Monmouth had never guessed and yet always instinctively knew--and not only secrets, but danger too. The eponymous mist seems to cloud the writing, and the meandering tale ends quickly with a conclusion that still seems obscure. Even if Monmouth doesn't deserve the truth, doesn't the loyal reader?

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January 1, 2014
Leaving his gentleman's club one dismal evening in the company of a younger member, the elderly Sir James Monmouth uncharacteristically reveals the existence of a manuscript he has written about his mysterious youth, and hisses an ominous entreaty to his confidante. The document reveals Monmouth's lifelong quest to chronicle the journeys and observations of Conrad Vane, a peripatetic explorer whose tales of travel and adventure greatly influenced Monmouth's own nomadic life. Having returned to his native country of England after a lengthy absence spent tracing his muse's steps, Monmouth vows to uncover Vane's background, only to be met at every turn with increasingly dire warnings and dramatic concern for his safety and sanity. Monmouth forges on, eventually arriving at desolate Kittiscar Hall, where he discovers Vane's sinister connection to his Monmouth ancestors. There's nothing like a good old-fashioned ghost story, and the masterful Hill authentically channels such giants of the Gothic genre as Poe and Doyle in this eerily atmospheric yarn of restless spirits, both temporal and corporeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)