Desideria

This is the book to read if you are looking for something unique. Too often fantasy novels fall into the same pattern of a chosen child, who grows up to fulfill an established, prophesied destiny. I hesitate to even label this novel as fantasy. It's a little bit horror. A little bit mystery. And being so, I can't compare it to anything else I've read. Built as a story within a story, the writer weaves the tale of the girl, Ange, in a madhouse and her questionable madness, with the story of Ange's past before her captivity when she was an actress of mysterious talent. Embedded throughout the story is the play, Desideria, that acts as both Ange's damnation and salvation and the hinge on which the story comes together. It is certainly worth reading- especially for anyone that craves rich literary talent with the fantastic elements of speculative fiction. You'll find yourself hooked on each section of the story-immersed in the voice of the writer, her unique turns of phrase and the language of the characters.