Book Review: ‘Fyneshade” by Kate Griffin

*Warning: This book contains scenes of child abuse*

Written in 2023, Kate Griffin’s Fyneshade pays homage to the era of classic gothic literature as it evokes images of books such as: Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, and Henry James’ The Turn of The Screw.

Set in the 1800s, Fyneshade follows Marta who has just buried her grandmother. Knowing that the young Van Meeran heir has eyes only for the lower class Marta, their families conspire to send Marta away to Fyneshade. There she will be governess to Sir William Pritchard’s young daughter, Grace. Instead of protesting, Marta sees Fyneshade as an opportunity to make her fortune…by any means necessary. Her plan is helped by Pritchard’s banished eldest child Vaughan who seems just as interested in her as she is in him.

Normally in female-led gothic and haunted house style stories the protagonist’s journey follows a few set paths. Typically she will either: start the story as meek and timid before growing to confronting the evil within the house at the conclusion, or start the story as a non-believer before coming to accept the supernatural goings-on, or be driven to insanity by the supernatural entity within the story. This novel doesn’t follow any of these usual plotlines. Instead of Marta being afraid of Fyneshade it is the occupants of the house who should fear her.

Trained in witchcraft by her grandmother, Marta can call upon dark powers to help her achieve her desires. She is also masterful at subtly manipulating others to get what she wants. Whether its controlling poor Grace when no one is looking or convincing housekeeper Mrs Gurney that she had seen one of the maids fraternising with Vaughan in order to hide her own nightly exertions – Marta isn’t afraid to take what she wants.  This is what makes her a wonderfully villainous character.

Marta’s self-entitled attitude means she cares very little for her fellow Fyneshade servants (not that she ever considers herself a servant). She largely ignores the maids and must continually hide her distain for senior staff members Mrs Gurney and Old Maggie the nursemaid. However the worst of her attitude is reserved for her ward: Grace.

Although never explicitly stated, it is implied that Grace has Down Syndrome as well as learning difficulties which leave her largely unable to communicate with others. Viewed through Marta’s eye, Grace is presented as unintelligent however the reader can see that Grace is clever and talented in her own way – from her artistic skills to her memorisation of Fyneshade’s secret passages to her surprise cunning at the end of the novel.

The sections where Marta’s coercive and at times physically abusive behaviour towards Grace are intentionally difficult and uncomfortable to read. We are supposed to feel unsettled and uncertain at exactly what will happen next. Throughout the novel, Griffin makes sure to include several different directions the plot could go in. Will Marta’s true intentions be revealed? Will her manipulations of Grace be discovered? Does Vaughan really have feelings for her or are they both playing each other? And what is the real reason behind William Pritchard’s continued absence from his own house?

Fyneshade is a brilliantly written novel with an unusual twist built into it. Despite its fascinating characters (like Marta and Vaughan) we are not actually rooting for one of more of them to win. Rather the reader is like an observer waiting to see which competitor will survive the power struggle growing within the house. The book is an excellent historical thriller with hints of the supernatural.

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