A monster is pursued and Gothic tradition is honored in When I Arrived at the Castle

THIS REVIEW IS SPOILER-FREE.

by Kate Kowalski. It’s been a while since I’ve encountered a good, old-fashioned monster on the page. Throughout schooling, I was intrigued and revulsed by the likes of Dracula, Mr. Hyde, Dorian Gray, and Frankenstein. All borne from Gothic literature into the collective cultural consciousness. All emerging from a dark and stormy night at an isolated castle, a looming manor, or a gaslit London street. In revisiting When I Arrived at the Castle, I found myself face-to-face with an equally formidable figure, a new monster delivered by E.M. Carroll through the classic Gothic framework in a beautiful and viscerally rendered tale.

Carroll continues the tradition of the Gothic monster with the Countess, a seductive woman with sharp teeth, all alone in her great castle on a rainy night. The Countess has been expecting our unnamed heroine, a meek young woman with pointy ears, a snout, and fur — a sort of catwoman. (A strange but seemingly unimportant character trait until the climax nears.) Our heroine comes in wet from the rain, stating her purpose to rid the world of this castle’s hostess upon entering. The Countess is nonchalant, expecting this, but perhaps a bath and hospitality before the grand exertion? The hero accepts and is led deeper into the castle and the curious things that lie within.

The castle is a dreamlike space, unbound by the laws of physics, as large as infinity and morphing around the path of the Countess and our heroine. The floor drips beneath them or fades away in a smear on a journey across a remarkable two-page spread. This is a dark and shadowy place decorated by ornate scrawls of disturbing eyes and lips, thin and red, etched in blood.

Carroll’s use of red is remarkable. The book is in black and white besides, yet this one color splatters throughout, adding drama and emphasis to certain moments and imagery. In the beginning, only our heroine’s internal monologue is in red before it bleeds into the rest of her environs. Doors leading to mysterious rooms, a handle she dare not turn, streams of hall light, a bitten tongue. At one point, the rain beating outside the window is red as a spray of violence.

Amidst this, the prose takes over at some points, illustrated pages giving way to simple text spreads. The writing is lyrical and figurative, strong enough to stand on its own as a novel. Through this narrative, Carroll does justice to the flowery language of the genre’s forefathers.

And yet, the art reveals what the words do not — an unspoken but clearly seen sensuality to the situation. The Countess greets our heroine in a sheer, form-fitting nightgown, inviting her into a warm bath from which she has just emerged. Exposed breasts are soaked in blood, as are hands caressing faces, necks. The Countess is a seductress.

And so are the other monsters of the genre, each in their own way. Gothic horror is characterized by the struggle of humans against temptation, the dark urges that exist within. A Gothic monster is simply an externalization of an internal, moralistic battle. A vampire or an undead creation is perhaps easier to conquer.

Carroll makes a metaphor, too, though with a more post-modern take. What does the Countess represent? The dangers of sexuality? Perhaps, in a simple reading. But the story opens up and blooms into a complicated tangle as more is revealed about the history of this castle, who has come before, and what role our heroine played in these events before stepping foot inside. Not all is as it appears to be.

I’ll tell you right now: there are no definitive answers. I sat in my chair and puzzled over my own interpretation of the events. I read another review that offered up an interesting potential read. It was not one I entirely agreed with, though it was still valid. I found my own themes in the tale: themes of guilt and rationalization, of confronting past wrongs committed not only against oneself but also by oneself.

So, the story is a Rorschach test of sorts. After my first reading, I believed this aspect to be a weakness. I thought it was vague, leading to confusion. But the story stayed with me, engaging my mind as I tried to unravel it and come to a conclusion. This book gives you something to chew on, mull over. And it is a delicious bite.

When I first sang the praises of When I Arrived at the Castle, I read it as a PDF and greatly enjoyed it. This time, I was able to hold the book in my hands and turn through the story page by page. This is a piece worth getting your hands on, a strange and beautiful nightmare you can store neatly on your shelf.

9 / 10

When I Arrived at the Castle is available from Silver Sprocket now. For ordering information, click this.

Silver Sprocket / $16.99
by E.M. Carroll.

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