The House of Sorrowing Stars by Beth Cartwright
(Penguin Random House, 2022)
Reviewed by Estelle Roberts
This beautiful and atmospheric novel, the second by author Beth Cartwright, has a very magical realist feel and sensibility. Despite beginning in a city which could very much be in nineteenth century western Europe, it has the elements of magic being alive within a seemingly normal and mundane world.
Liddy Harchwood is the daughter of a marchpane maker. Despite her young age, she has learnt much from her father, and is almost as accomplished as he is. She also delivers the sweets to homes around the town, allowing the reader to become acquainted with some of its residents, including Lady Chamberlain, who holds an annual party which she never attends, preferring to listen from her sickbed. Liddy sits with her on these occasions, providing comfort and company.
Her life changes when a letter arrives from Vivienne, a lady to whom they regularly send marchpane, inviting her to stay at the eponymous house and prepare marchpane for the guests. In order to rid herself of an annoying and persistent suitor, and because she has vague and dreamlike memories of going to that remote location as a child, Liddy agrees to go. Sheer curiosity is also a major factor.
We now reach the point where the magic truly starts. The old and faded house is a refuge for broken souls who have lost loved ones and wish or need to be in contact with them in order to make amends and be healed. The methods are magical and complicated, involving Vivienne, her brother and a mysterious and beautiful woman called Eloura, a traveller through dreams and stories. At first, Liddy struggles somewhat to find her place within this fantastical setup, but as time passes, she finds herself evermore drawn into the workings of the house and the lives of the people within it. As a sensitive person it is indeed impossible for her not to, particularly after she finds the wondrous library in which their stories are documented.
The characters who people this story are extremely well rendered. Liddy’s parents are reminiscent of Jane Austen’s Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, with her mother largely only caring that she should make a good marriage. Her father, meanwhile, understands her better and allows her to leave with his blessing, despite the fact that marriage to her suitor would certainly benefit his business.
It is, however, the residents of the house who are by far the most interesting. Vivienne, the owner, is as sharp and brittle as broken glass, but hides a great hurt within. The development of the friendship of two such different people is fascinating and moving to watch. The romance that develops between Liddy and Vivienne’s equally wounded brother, Raphael, is sympathetically written and does not overwhelm the story as a whole. The most prominent and moving of the itinerant residents is, perhaps, an old former army officer, who spends his days perpetually drunk and in a foul mood. His tale is tragic, by forcing his son into the army, despite his talents lying elsewhere, he causes his death. Liddy’s reaction to him, a mixture of pity, sympathy and anger, will probably be shared by most readers. He is seeking redemption and forgiveness, which he eventually does find. Others have their own sad tales to tell. The house itself, as many places do, also has its own peculiar character and atmosphere, strange in parts, kind and welcoming in others.
It is somewhat of a pet peeve of mine that a character should be allowed to see and talk to a deceased loved one and make amends or say that which they had been unable to before. However, in the context of this story it is less of an intrusion, a testament to the writer’s skill. This skill, and the book’s page turning readability also allow this story to stand tall alongside those of Laura Esquibal and Isabel Allende, and I would highly recommend it to their readers.
Review from BSFA Review 18 - Download your copy here.