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Margaret Lea lives a quiet life running a second-hand bookshop in Cambridge with her father, whilst working as a biographer as a sideline. But she gets the shock of her life when famous and reclusive writer Vida Winter asks her to write her life story. Vida is known for her storytelling – both personally and professionally – so Margaret really isn't sure this is a job she wants, despite imploring Vida to tell her the truth from the outset and setting her some tests to ensure that she does. But then she finds herself in a remote Yorkshire house in the depths of winter with this master storyteller regaling her with the bizarre story of the Angelfield family, particularly the twins Adeline and Emmeline. The story soon begins to strike a chord with Margaret, who has her own strange family life and buried secrets to deal with. And this is pretty much as far as the suspense element goes. THE THIRTEENTH TALE is basically a rather over-wrought gothic/Victorian pastiche with lots of arch references to books such as JANE EYRE, and more than its fair share of mysterious twins, faithful retainers and ghosts. The main story – that told by Vida – is by far the most engrossing. Margaret is a pale, thin creation, both literally and metaphorically. And as this is firmly a plot-driven book, don't go expecting any characterisation, as you'll be sadly disappointed. This is a debut novel for former British academic Diane Setterfield, and seems to have been talked up in the States. Reception in the UK has been a little more guarded, which is pretty much my attitude to it. Setterfield is a fluent storyteller, but THE THIRTEENTH TALE doesn't feel like a well-rounded creation. Margaret's plot strand is far too thin and the ending is a first cousin of 'home in time for tea.' It undermines what has gone before and will probably send your eyebrows disappearing over the top of your head. So this is an interesting first effort and Setterfield is a writer to watch. But this book doesn't live up to its hype.
Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, November 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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