Thanks for the book recommends! The one that caught my eye was labeled as "dark comedy" but after a quick peek, I’m pretty sure October is the perfect month to dive in. The cover alone. And it was published on Halloween!
The year is 1901. England’s beloved queen has died, and her aging son has finally taken the throne. And a peculiar little girl is cursed to live in a theater. 👻
When Edith Holler (the narrator of this twisty tale) was christened in the city of Norwich, an old actress put a curse on her—if the girl ever stepped outside, she would die and the entire theater would come tumbling down!
Afterward, the story goes, the actress exploded. Pieces of her everywhere. Is the story real? Her domineering father believes so and has forbidden her to leave the playhouse.
Fascinated by tales of the city she knows only from afar, Edith decides to write a play about the local legend of Mawther Meg, a monstrous figure said to have used the blood of countless children to make the local delicacy known as Beetle Spread.
But when her father suddenly announces his engagement to a peculiar, imposing woman named Margaret Unthank, heir to the actual Beetle Spread fortune, Edith scrambles to protect her father, the theater, and her play—from the newcomer’s sinister designs. [mash-up of publisher blurbs]
388 pgs
gothic/historical/horror/humor