The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Setterfield introduces us to Margaret Lea, a biographer and daughter of a London rare bookstore owner. Asked to compose the biography of the dying famous author, Vida Winters, Margaret travels to the novelist’s Yorkshire home to decide if Miss Winters will give her the truth, having fabricated the facts of her life on many occasions. Margaret is not only swept up in the unraveling story of the author, but must also face her own demons as the account brings up painful memories from her own past.

As Miss Winters tells her story, we learn of the Angelfield family, focusing on the attractive Isabelle and her brother Charlie. As Charlie forms an unnatural obsession with his sister, Isabelle goes away and marries, only to return shortly after the death of her husband with twin babies on the way. Adeline and Emmeline are born, and are strongly bonded by wickedness and their secret twin language. As Isabelle is put away in a mental institution and Charlie shuts himself off from the world, a governess is brought in to run the house and control the twins, especially the willful Emmeline. Margaret is drawn deeper into the tale of these girls as she learns about the experimental separation of the twins, a ghost, more than one attempt at murder, a baby and abandonment, and a tragic fire. In Margaret’s determination to verify Miss Winters’ story, she meet Aurelius, who has a story of his own to tell, which connects him with the Angelfield family. The twist in the end of Miss Winters’ story will make readers gasp, as they find out her place in the devastating tale.

Setterfield's book, a Jane Eyre apparent, is written in Gothic Style, complete with mysterious secrets, ghosts and shocking revelations. Even with the slow beginning, the book soon picks up and becomes a hard to put down story. Readers will want to know the answers to the many mysteries Margaret herself is trying to figure out and understand about Miss Winters' past. As she investigates the facts of Miss Winters' story, Margaret and the readers slowly begin to figure out the missing pieces of the intricate and marvelous story of Vida Winters. Setterfield's tale is richly detailed, enjoyable and suspenseful, as she mesmerized me with her dual story of the Angelfield family and Margaret Lea. I was drawn in by the mystery and rich storytelling of this unique tale. A great read!