Stephen
Stephen
By Amy Cross
The Sexton’s musings (spoilers are likely)
A normal set with one narrator and chapters. This is the experience of Beryl Seaton and her time at the Brooks’ estate. If you are sensitive when it come to things happening to children or you have lost a child yourself this may hit home a bit too much for you. The premise of this book is disturbing. I'm not necessarily bothered by it other than the description of the smell. That kinda made my stomach get a little flip floppy.
Beryl Seaton
As a young woman of twenty and being raised under the roof of a convent by nuns she has no knowledge of real world. She may have had glimpses when she worked with the community; however, not to the depths needed to navigate intelligently through the incident she is forced to endure. This is our narrator and the main character of the book. It is told from her perspective but as a much older woman. She is in her sixties when she decides to commit her story to paper and is much more worldly than she was. So looking back she makes comment of her naivety and how things would have been very different had she known what she knows now. She is kind, sweet, and extremely book smart. She speaks well and has her heart in the right place. Unfortunately her innocence gets taken from her by people who are within the depths of madness. She is also denying a part of her true self. Personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with experiencing pleasure when experiencing pain. BDSM is a completely normal sexual category where if you are fortunate enough to find someone to participate with you, you're golden. I understand that her up-brining and the time period got in her way. In her mind she was a dirty sinner for experiencing these things. This could not be further from the truth and it's a damn shame that she never really got to explore this side of herself; never develop it. I think that she would have had a much more rich life. Not that her life was bad. She found someone to share it with but he was very conservative and unemotional in his approach to love. Where I think Beryl had far more passion inside.
Dr. Elliot Brooks (husband to Hannah, brother to Severine, father to Stephen)
A man who on the surface seems relatively normal. Particular in his ways, and stern. Sounds like a handsome, successful man. Perhaps a bit arrogant, but nothing overly obvious saying that he is hiding a huge, completely bat shit crazy, secret. There are moments where you are able to feel that he is not all stern and collected. He has moments of concern and weakness. He never came to terms with his feelings for his sister and this destroyed so many lives. If he had never pursued Hannah and just did what his heart was telling him then all of this could have been avoided. I mean his heart was fucked up but hey denying your true nature, in the end, spreads your brains all over the wall.
Mrs. (Ms.) Severine Brooks (sister to Elliot, mother to Stephen)
Yeah this woman has lost the plot. She has sunk into madness that is past the point of return. She has moments of kindness and normalcy and then at the flip of a switch she is in a rage that is uncontrollable, short of getting physical with her to snap her out of it. Oh yeah and then there is the whole thinking Stephen is alive when he is a rotting corpse. I'm all about respecting the dead, treating the remains with the utmost care but this takes that to a whole new level. To a certain degree she is correct in that denying your true self will most likely end badly but precautions should have been taken. Honestly I don't care if she and her brother want to knock seven bells out of each other every half hour (gross but hey you do you). It's the production of a child that was wrong. Is she bat shit...yes. But does she also have a point especially when it comes to Beryl...yes.
Hannah Treadwell (aka Hannah Brooks, wife to Elliot Brooks)
Look I can't blame this woman for her disgust and anger. Dr. Brooks marries her, brining her into a situation that destroys her life. I too take issue with brother and sister engaging in sexual activity and producing a child. If nothing more for genetic reasons. Producing more suffering for the child in life due to abnormalities caused by their parents. That is not fair to them. We spout all kinds of moral reasons this is wrong but in the end it simply goes against nature and the diversity that is needed for species survival. So, her anger is completely justified in multiple ways. Her reason for killing the child is down to anger but could it also not been for mercy as well. And if this was the case then she should have castrated her husband long ago to prevent this tragedy. Just saying...
Stephen
I thought that Stephen should at least have an honorable mention. Even though he is no longer with the living he plays a huge roll in the story. He is after all the reason for all that happens. Perhaps in a round about way but it is his existence that breaks down this house. An innocent little boy who was brought into this world through no fault of his own. It is tragic.
Closing thoughts:
So I have read a couple of reviews and they all mention that this is a disturbing story. While I would agree with that I feel the popularity of “Game of Thrones” does not make incest all that unfamiliar. Now I have to bring up the infamous chapter 28. Did I read it? Yes. Was it disturbing? Sure. I'm not sure what I was expecting (honestly I thought she was going to eat him) but I did not feel that it was overly horrible. Was it gross? Yes! And quite frankly I worried for her and the infection that she was going to develop from doing what she did but hey it didn't seem to phase her at all. Again it was more the description of the smells that really gave it (for me) the gross out factor. Rotting human flesh is a unique and putrid smell the stays with one forever. It's something that you will always remember. It is now part of your mind nose. Congrats! Add in unwashed lady bits and you pretty much have the smell described here. Recommendation if you are easily triggered, maybe skip this one. I thought it was a good story but not much offends me so just beware.
