Title: The Essex Serpent
Author: Sarah Perry
Publisher: Mariner Books 2016
Genre: Magical Realism
Pages: 422
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Spooky Season
Where I Got It: ????
An exquisitely talented young British author makes her American debut with this rapturously acclaimed historical novel, set in late nineteenth-century England, about an intellectually minded young widow, a pious vicar, and a rumored mythical serpent that explores questions about science and religion, skepticism, and faith, independence and love.
When Cora Seaborne’s brilliant, domineering husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was not a happy one. Wed at nineteen, this woman of exceptional intelligence and curiosity was ill-suited for the role of society wife. Seeking refuge in fresh air and open space in the wake of the funeral, Cora leaves London for a visit to coastal Essex, accompanied by her inquisitive and obsessive eleven-year old son, Francis, and the boy’s nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend.
While admiring the sites, Cora learns of an intriguing rumor that has arisen further up the estuary, of a fearsome creature said to roam the marshes claiming human lives. After nearly 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to have returned, taking the life of a young man on New Year’s Eve. A keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, Cora is immediately enthralled, and certain that what the local people think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species. Eager to investigate, she is introduced to local vicar William Ransome. Will, too, is suspicious of the rumors. But unlike Cora, this man of faith is convinced the rumors are caused by moral panic, a flight from true belief.
These seeming opposites who agree on nothing soon find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart—an intense relationship that will change both of their lives in ways entirely unexpected.
I finished the book and spent a lot of time thinking about how the summary of the story doesn’t really track with the story inside. I was expecting a tense story full of magical doings and some romantic tension. Instead, I got a very quiet character study of a cast of Victorian characters. Everyone acts in line with the time and place they live in giving this a much more melancholy feel instead of suspense or tension. Cora is at times a strong heroine to root for and a privileged oblivious woman bumbling around in other people’s lives. She could be very frustrating at times. On the other side, William Ransome is also extremely frustrating and yet, very much how I think a vicar in England at the time would think and act. For a page or two, I wanted them to find happiness in each other, but also realized that they were terrible for each other. The book quietly moves along with multiple subplots and character storylines. Coming to the abrupt ending, I was a bit frustrated. But in the end, I really enjoyed this quiet meandering story.
