It’s not unusual these days to see modern horror stories inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Here on The Gothic Library, I’ve reviewed such books as T. Kingfisher’s fantastical reimagining of “The Fall of the House of Usher” and a YA anthology that retells a variety of Poe stories for the next generation. But Christa Carmen takes this idea a step further by drawing not just on Poe’s fiction but also from his real life—and even more obscurely, his romantic and literary relationship with the poet Sarah Helen Whitman—in her suspense novel Beneath the Poet’s House, which came out back in December. Whether you’re a hardcore Edgar Allan Poe nerd or you just like your fiction paired with fun facts about fascinating historical figures, Beneath the Poet’s House is a great way to learn some literary history while also experiencing some serious thrills and chills.
Saoirse White is desperate for a fresh start after the traumatic death of her husband, so when she sees a historic home for rent in her old college town of Providence, Rhode Island, she can’t pass up the opportunity. But what she hadn’t quite realized is that this historic home once belonged to Sarah Helen Whitman, a nineteenth-century writer and Transcendentalist who is mostly remembered today for having been briefly engaged to Edgar Allan Poe the year before his death. The house is allegedly haunted by Whitman’s ghost and the energy of that whirlwind romance between two great literary minds—and also apparently by Whitman’s personal fan club: a small band of New Age Transcendentalists who are inspired by her poetry and philosophies and have made a habit of breaking into the house to hold seances. As Saoirse cautiously befriends these endearing weirdos, she begins to learn about some of the eerie parallels between her own life and Sarah Helen Whitman’s. The parallels grow even stronger when Saoirse finds herself falling in love with the local literary golden boy, Emmit Powell, who aspires to Poe-like levels of prestige. But even as she revels in new romance and finds the inspiration to start writing again, Saoirse can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. Imaginary flies flit in and out of her vision, her dead husband’s voice whispers harsh words inside her head, and her new friends think that Emmit Powelll is a little too good to be true. Is she really in the midst of a great literary love like Poe and Whitman, or could these parallels point to something much more sinister?
If you know me, you know I love when a book plays with the different meanings of the word haunting. The characters in Beneath the Poet’s House actively discuss the concept of hauntings, as they hold seances, attend ghost tours, and seek connections with writers long dead. They theorize about the mechanics of hauntings—specifically the “stone tape” theory of residual hauntings, which posits that physical objects in the environment hold psychic impressions of long ago people and events, like recordings on a film reel or cassette tape. This is different from the belief in sentient ghosts, like one might contact through a seance to ask for information or advice. Throughout the book, Saoirse has a number of seemingly supernatural encounters, though the reader is left in suspense as to whether to believe that ghosts are real. All too real, however, are psychological hauntings: feelings of guilt and shame, the voice in the back of your head speaking like someone you were once close to, imagining you see a familiar face in the crowd. Regardless of whether Saoirse is truly haunted by energies imprinted on her old house or the lingering spirits of Poe and Whitman, what she most needs to exorcise if she wants to be able to move on are the hauntings inside her own mind.
As a psychological thriller, Beneath the Poet’s House goes to some pretty dark places but it is ultimately a story of women’s empowerment. First, in the sense that it seeks to uplift an underappreciated female writer who has been largely overshadowed by the man she briefly had a relationship with. But the main thrust of the story is Saoirse’s own journey to empowerment, as she will need to rely on her own inner strength to survive the ordeals Providence has in store for her. The text wrestles with Edgar Allan Poe’s infamous contention that “the death [of] a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world” and with the larger theme of men instrumentalizing the women in their lives. Too many men view women as housemaids, broodmares, or even artistic muses—but not as full human beings with agency, thoughts, and artistic merit of their own. Perhaps what’s truly “most poetical” is when these men get their comeuppance and the women they sought to control can break free. The book can get a bit heavy-handed at times with this message, but it’s one we need to hear now more than ever.
If you love both literary history and modern psychological thrillers, then definitely check out Beneath the Poet’s House. You can find it on shelves now at larger retailers, or order it online and support The Gothic Library in the process using this Bookshop.org affiliate link. Once you’ve read it, let me know what you think in the comments!