Review of The Writing Retreat—Channeling Stories and Spirits

How far would you go for a book deal? Five aspiring authors are faced with this question in Julia Bartz’s deliciously suspenseful debut The Writing Retreat, which came out earlier this year. 

Alex has been suffering from writer’s block for over a year, ever since she had a catastrophic falling out with her former roommate and best friend Wren. But then she gets the opportunity of a lifetime to help her break out of her slump: a spot in an exclusive month-long writing retreat at the estate of her literary idol: the mysterious and reclusive genius of feminist literary horror, Roza Vallo. The only problem? Wren has been invited, too. Upon arrival at Blackbriar, Roza’s isolated mansion in snowy Upstate New York, Alex learns that she will be competing against Wren and three other young women to write a novel from scratch, with grueling daily word-count requirements and critique sessions. The winner will receive a seven-figure book deal and get to tour with Roza. Choosing the house’s dark history as the subject of her book, Alex will have to confront her own demons and those that haunt the estate if she’s going to have any chance at winning the contest. But as the retreat progresses, it becomes clear that not all of these young women may be quite who they appear and that even Roza Vallo may be harboring dark—perhaps deadly—secrets. 

Though very much a modern thriller/suspense novel, this story still manages to fit in a number of classic Gothic tropes. First, we have the haunted house with a bloody backstory. Blackbriar was the site of two unexplained deaths in the 1800s: Horace, the wealthy master of the estate was found eviscerated in his bedroom, while his wife Daphne seems to have burned to death in the otherwise unburnt basement. Daphne’s Spiritualist leanings and talk of producing a Great Commission for a spirit named Lamia add a suggestion of the supernatural to these deaths. Roza strives to evoke this dark history by decorating her home with portraits of the Victorian couple and reproductions of Daphne’s spirit-inspired works of art. Then there’s Roza’s creepy housekeeper, Yana, who unnerves Alex and the other young women with her stoic and unfriendly demeanor. Yana’s devotion to Roza has an air of Mrs. Danvers to it. And, of course, what’s the point of having a grand old estate without secret rooms and passageways? I can’t say too much more on that subject, though, without giving away one of the major twists of the book. 

One of my favorite things about The Writing Retreat is the way that it blends its discussion of writing with the supernatural, mainly through the idea of “channeling.” One of the house’s original inhabitants, Daphne, was a medium known for channeling the spirits of the dead through automatic writing and drawing. Alex likewise starts to feel almost as though she’s channeling the spirit of Daphne once she breaks through her writer’s block and finds the story flowing out of her. Excerpts of Alex’s story are sprinkled throughout the book, paralleling the events going on in her own life while also shedding new light on the house’s past. Alex’s disturbing dreams make us question whether she might also be channeling the malevolent entity known as Lamia. Or is it just the stress of the retreat causing nightmares? Supernatural explanations are alternately suggested and explained away throughout the novel in a way that ultimately leaves the existence of the supernatural ambiguous and open to interpretation. This whole topic makes me think of my favorite author Leanna Renee Hieber, who also draws on the history of the nineteenth-century Spiritualist movement in her books and frequently describes her writing process as “channeling” her characters. In the end, does it really make a difference whether it is Daphne the ghost of the past or Daphne the imagined character that Alex is channeling?

The Writing Retreat is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year so far! Whether you’re a fan of ghosts and the Gothic or of nail-bitingly tense suspense stories about toxic female friendships and mentor relationships, this debut has a lot to offer. You can find it on shelves now at your favorite local retailer, or buy it online and support The Gothic Library in the process using this Bookshop.org affiliate link. If you’ve already read it, let me know what you think in the comments!