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Book: “Projections: A Novel” by S. E. Porter
Publishing Info: Tor Books, February 2024
Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: Love may last a lifetime, but in this dark historical fantasy, the bitterness of rejection endures for centuries.
As a young woman seeks vengeance on the obsessed sorcerer who murdered her because he could not have her, her murderer sends projections of himself out into the world to seek out and seduce women who will return the love she denied―or suffer mortal consequence. A lush, gothic journey across worlds full of strange characters and even stranger magic.
Sarah Porter’s adult debut explores misogyny and the soul-corrupting power of unrequited love through an enchanted lens of violence and revenge.
Review: It’s been a hot minute since I read “Vassa in the Night,” but what I do remember, I remember fondly. I vaguely remember struggling a bit with the characters, but enjoying the world-building and lyrical nature of the story. Don’t quote me on that, but I feel like I can remember some pretty interesting magical concepts, but at the same time, practically nothing about Vassa herself. From these mists of memories, I have to say I’m pleased to see the author jumping over to adult fiction! As is confirmed in this book, I think adult fiction much better suits the strengths found in her lyrical style to storytelling.
I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when I started this one. The cover is fantastic and was definitely giving creepy vibes, and the book description was leading me to think we’d be following the ghost, Catherine, individually throughout the story. But I wasn’t expecting the multiple time lines and the manner in which the story unfolded. It was both intriguing and frustrating. Intriguing, because the stories explores a large period of time, giving the reader glimpses into many aspects of the world and systems in place. Frustrating, because like Catherine, the reader is left raging at Angus, Gus, throughout the book, longing for his demise, forced to witness him in all of his misogynistic glory again and again.
That said, I really appreciated the look into Gus’s character that we see here. He’s such a lowkey sort of evil, a man who think he deserves the love of those he chooses, and then reacts violently and viscously when he is denied. It’s as terrifying as it is familiar. But what have been a simplistic exploration of this theme rose to a new level through the author’s careful work in this book. The story is presented meticulously and intentionally, using its various timelines to really sharpen the fine point it is making. Catherine is angry, the book is angry, and the author does a diligent job in portraying this anger as justified, warranted, and, in its own terrible way, necessary.
That said, this book is long, coming in at just shy of 500 pages. Given the dark nature of its themes, and the ongoing struggles of its characters, this left the reading experience as somewhat challenging at times. I can’t point to any exact moments that could be cut to winnow down the length, but I do think the book would have been more readable to a general audience if it had been edited down just a bit. That said, if you enjoy the style of writing presented here and become invested in Catherine’s story early on, as I did, the length isn’t a deterrent. If you enjoyed lyrical, historical fiction with strong feminist themes, definitely check this one out!
Rating 8: Ambitious and powerful, Porter weaves a careful tale of misogyny, cruelty, and the anger of a woman who refuses to remain a victim.
Reader’s Advisory:
“Projections: A Novel” is on this Goodreads list: Books I’m Dying to Get My Hands On
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