Can a tragedy be cozy? Follow me, if you will, down the once-grand hallways of Thornwalk, the decrepit manor house of the sprawling, decayed Gilbert family, and we shall see ... If you don’t mind a narrator whose manner can shade into that of a Realtor trying to unload a house that needs a new roof (as, indeed, Thornwalk does), an oddly diverting read awaits ... Tomaski manages her pastiche with rare control and evident relish. Before embracing a more pragmatic match, the young Lydia engages in an abortive romance with an artistically inclined tutor, who reads her his poem 'Ode to Tuberculosis.' Her reaction is not what he wants; she corrects herself. 'Not funny. I meant sad.' But when Tomaski flirts with the precious, it is on purpose — and to surprising effect.
There may be more style than substance in The Infamous Gilberts but it is very stylish, indeed ... There’s a disconnect between the cool elegance of Tomaski’s writing and the brutal behavior it describes. Inbred rich people probably have behaved like this down through the ages, but there’s an unreality in The Infamous Gilberts, along with a macabre sense of humor, that keeps it entertaining, rather than grim.
Readers of Tomaski’s immersive multigenerational saga will be pulled into the lives of the Gilbert family. Recommended for fans of big English novels about people who cannot help themselves.
Tomaski debuts with a fresh story of an eccentric English family and its crumbling manor ... Readers may initially struggle with the multiple story lines and crowded cast of characters, but the narrative coheres as Tomaski reveals the backstabbing, mental illness, and other problems that brought about the estate’s decline ... Along the way, Tomaski imbues the narrative with pathos and wit ('A woman scorned is nothing compared to the girl whose lover suddenly has a reputation for bad breath'). Patient readers will find much to enjoy.
If Shirley Jackson moved The Addams Family to the English countryside, something like this dark, tongue-in-cheek epic might result ... Tomaski’s archly but deeply gothic debut is presented in the form of a house tour, conducted by an enigmatic man named Maximus, eventually revealed to have played a role in the events ... This distinctive debut introduces a wickedly weird new talent.
