The Gallery of Stolen Souls by Helen Moorhouse
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Thank you very much to Book Sirens for giving me the opportunity to be on the review team for this book. I received a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Louise is turning over a new leaf in her life. Her freelance work is really starting to take off, she is finally ready to ask her insufferable roommate to leave, and she has vowed to work on her confidence. To mark the occasion, Louise buys a beautiful antique camera. Little does she know that this camera has a very sordid history, which she has brought into her home.
The Gallery of Stolen Souls was an interesting book, splitting its time between nineteenth century London and modern day Ireland. In the past we follow the adventures of a photographer with a knack for the post-mortem and the woman that assists him (this is a gross oversimplification, but to say more would be to spoil the story). In the present we follow Louise and her friends as they deal with the aftermath of what happened two centuries previously. I will say now that there wasn’t much in the way of haunting here. The ghosts played second fiddle to living humans in the song of terror. I feel this worked well for the story, but I was expecting more of the supernatural.
I am going to structure this review a little differently to my usual, mostly due to the timeline split. Every few chapters of so we would switch between the past and the present. This was not confusing at all (each time it happened it was clearly marked), and allowed us to learn important events when we needed them. The chapters, and characters, from Victorian London were the standouts for me, so much so that Louise and her modern world seemed dull by comparison. If I ever found myself putting the book down to take a break, it was always in the twenty-first century.
There are a few reasons the past stood out to me. I am very intrigued by Victorian London, so it was already going to have a slight advantage. But I am also fascinated by post-mortem photography, and the way Victorians thought about death. Aside from my own interests, despite being centuries dead, Samuel and Bridget felt much more alive to me.
That isn’t to say that all the modern scenes were boring. When we reach the half way point I feel as if Louise’s story hits its stride, and I finished the rest of the book in one sitting.
To discuss more of current events would be to ruin the outcome of the book for you. Let’s just say that aside from the haunting photographs, there is also a missing persons case, and an unusual antique shop owner.
I will mention here that, in the segments set in the Victorian Era, we encounter several disabled characters, who are not always discussed by others respectfully, which is to be expected given the setting. If you feel this may upset you, it might be best to avoid this book, or go in prepared.
I may come off as a little harsh in this review, but I did honestly enjoy The Gallery of Stolen Souls. The author is a strong writer, and the story is overall engaging, with a satisfying conclusion. The true strength here lies in the authors ability to look at the good and the bad aspects of humanity, and show that to us in an interesting story.
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Rebecka O'Malley 