Jenna ❤ ❀ ❤'s Reviews > Melmoth

For some reason, I had thought this would be a horror story and wasn't sure why I'd added it to my TBR list. Still, since it was on there, I figured there was a reason and so I should read it. I discovered that it's not horror, though it does show the horrors that humans heap upon our fellow human beings when we see them as "other". It is written as a gothic story with the character of Melmoth offering the prospect of redemption.

Melmoth is a mysterious woman, cloaked in black robes and said to have been one of the women who had discovered Jesus' empty tomb. She later denied having witnessed this and so was cursed to wander the earth alone until his return. Helen is an English woman living in Prague, a woman trying to escape her own past mistakes, who comes across several tales of Melmoth. The story is creepy in its way, dark and mysterious. It is written beautifully even in its calignosity. It highlights the darkness that lurks within each human, the evil we all are capable of in the right circumstances, and the lengths we will go to find redemption. Written in beautiful prose and with exquisite descriptions, I was captivated by this story. Ms. Perry's other books are now on my TBR list, and this time I'll remember why they are there!