O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker

Janet lies murdered beneath the castle stairs, attired in her mother’s black lace wedding dress, lamented only by her pet jackdaw…

​Author Elspeth Barker masterfully evokes the harsh climate of Scotland in this atmospheric gothic tale that has been compared to the works of the Brontës, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edward Gorey. Immersed in a world of isolation and loneliness, Barker’s ill-fated young heroine Janet turns to literature, nature, and her Aunt Lila, who offers brief flashes of respite in an otherwise foreboding life. People, birds, and beasts move through the background in a tale that is as rich and atmospheric as it is witty and mordant. The family’s motto—Moriens sed Invictus (Dying but Unconquered)—is a well-suited epitaph for wild and courageous Janet, whose fierce determination to remain steadfastly herself makes her one of the most unforgettable protagonists in contemporary literature.

Publisher: Scribner  | Genre: Literary Fiction| Source: Purchased  | Rating: see below

I was scrolling on Book Outlet’s website when this cover caught my eye. It has a very gothic vibe and the title piqued my loved for all things Scotland. When I read the short blurb on their website calling the book, ‘a masterful gothic mystery compared to Edgar Allan Poe and the Brontë’s’, I was sold. I clicked the button and order two copies, one for me and one for my Mom, (who also loves good gothic mystery set in Scotland).

This was not the book they promised. Instead of a gothic mystery, O Caledonia is a coming-of-age story about Janet, a bookish misfit who is a little on the wild side of life, and just so happened to be murdered. While the book opens and closes with her murder, there’s no mystery that unfolds. What unfolds is the life of a young girl who is treated rather poorly by her parents and friends for no particular reason. The only person who has truly loved her, and her wildness, passed away leaving her with a jackdaw as her only friend. Why Janet’s actions are little over the top, there’s no explanation. And when explanations do come, such as the reason for Janet’s murder, they don’t really make sense and some of the situations are downright ludicrous.

O Caledonia is a very bleak book with moments of dark humor thrown in at random. While I do have to say the writing is beautiful at times, the style is overly flouncy but with no substance. It’s also narrative-driven with very little dialogue. Rather than showing you Janet’s life, the narrator is simply telling you anecdotes and is in complete control of where the story goes.

I also found no comparison to Poe or the Brontë’s. There is a hint of Dodie Smith, in that both feature post-war, coming-of-age stories set in crumbling countryside settings but Elspeth Barker is darker in tone.

I found this book hard to rate. If I’m rating it as  mystery or suspense fiction, which is how it’s catalogued with the Library of Congress, I’d have to give it a 0.5. If I’m rating it as literary fiction, I’d say it’s barely a 3. The book is a bit long-winded at times, there’s no explanation for Janet’s wild ways, it presents half a story.  

Overall, this book was a bit different. While I’m glad that I read it, I’m not sure it’s something that I would be willing to read again.

If you’re looking for something different with a darker tone that’s not spooky but fits the vibes of spooky season, this could be the book for you.