Book review - The List of Unspeakable Fears

 

Title: The List of Unspeakable Fears

Author: J. Kasper Kramer

Genre: historical fiction

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Rating:

 

gave me some pause, but paid off in the end

Summary (provided by publisher): Essie O’Neill is afraid of everything. She’s afraid of cats and electric lights. She’s afraid of the silver sick bell, a family heirloom that brings up frightening memories. Most of all, she’s afraid of the red door in her nightmares.
But soon Essie discovers so much more to fear. Her mother has remarried, and they must move from their dilapidated tenement in the Bronx to North Brother Island, a dreary place in the East River. That’s where Essie’s new stepfather runs a quarantine hospital for the incurable sick, including the infamous Typhoid Mary. Essie knows the island is plagued with tragedy. Years ago, she watched in horror as the ship General Slocum caught fire and sank near its shores, plummeting one thousand women and children to their deaths.
Now, something on the island is haunting Essie. And the red door from her dreams has become a reality, just down the hall from her bedroom in her terrifying new house. Convinced her stepfather is up to no good, Essie investigates. Yet to uncover the truth, she will have to face her own painful history—and what lies behind the red door.

My opinion: I had some concerns early on in this book. Mary seemed entirely too sympathetic. Her first scene showed her as a victim of circumstance, a person unfairly imprisoned by unfeeling officials. And her real history is morally complex. We're weighing personal freedom against public good, a situation with no easy answers. I was concerned also with the portrayal of Essie's fears. I was concerned that this was all being attributed to her father's death. So I appreciated when we saw back into the past and realized that she had always been anxious. Similarly, I appreciated that there were so simple solutions to her problems. Everything was a process. There were elements I didn't care for, some coincidental plot points. If you have an interest in history, though, it's a solid read.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley