The Thirteenth Tale Paperback – 5 Dec. 2013

I was part way through The Thirteenth Tale when I was lucky enough to hear Diane Setterfield speak at the 2018 Henley Literary Festival about her approach to writing and, in particular, about her forthcoming book, Once Upon A River.I was struck by Diane’s thoughts on storytelling as an important theme in her books. Admitting she’d always had an interest – and not just a professional interest – in storytelling, Diane observed that we all organise information, gossip, and so on into stories about ourselves. Diane described humans as intrinsically ‘storytelling animals’. To quote from The Thirteenth Tale, “Everybody has a story.”The book epitomises that emphasis on storytelling because, not only is its main character, Vida Winter, an author but she is a notably reclusive one who has carefully guarded the true facts of her life, spreading misinformation in its place. Furthermore, the plot centres on the mystery of a ‘missing’ thirteenth tale from her most famous collection of stories. What could be more enticing than the prospect of tracking down and reading a missing story?Having heard Diane’s thoughts made me return to the book with renewed interest and with an increased awareness of the way in which storytelling permeates the book. Many of the characters are in search of or trying to make sense of the story of their life; others are facing up to the need to finally reveal it. In some cases, uncovering the true nature of their story does not bring them the clarity or satisfaction they hoped for. As Aurelius Love observes, “Perhaps it’s better not to have a story at all, rather than have one that keep changing. I have spent my whole life chasing after my story, and never quite catching it.”There is also a sense in the book of the story of Vida’s life having an existence of its own; that it is fighting to make itself heard. At one point she comments: “Silence is not a natural environment for stories. They need words. Without them they grow pale, sicken and die.”I found The Thirteenth Tale an engrossing read; full of atmosphere and with a series of intriguing mysteries at its heart helped by some fine writing. ‘From the day I was born grief was always present. It settled like dust upon the household. It covered everything; it invaded us with every breath we took. It shrouded us in our own separate mysteries.’ The settings have a real sense of the Gothic. I’m now excited to start reading Once Upon A River very shortly.

There’s lots to love about this book:Set in a gothic houseHuge gardens with mysterious pathsRuralAn elderly author lives there as recluseA biographer is invited to come and interview her about books…The house has secrets in its walls…This is one gripping and very visual novel. I’ve seen the adaptation on the TV but the book is so much more immersive and gothic. I would even say the mystery, sense of foreboding and gothic overtones consumed me whilst reading and I felt chills and thrills I’ve never felt before.At its heart is a family mystery, one that weaves and wanders its way through your heart and the pages until its flourishing and wonderful reveals. It’s a book about the love of books, the wonder of reading and stories across time so any bibliophile out there is going to drink it in.Vida Winters, the author in the story writes a letter (a handwritten letter!)to a biographer Margaret Lea as she finally wants to tell the truth. The truth about the house, family, stories and secrets within.Margaret is intrigued about one book the author has written called Thirteen Tales of Change and Desperation,but this only contains twelve stories... where is the thirteenth tale? (Cue chills on the back of my neck)I don’t know why I haven’t reviewed it until now. Maybe I felt the time was right to revisit as I’ve just read it for the Nth time. This house, these characters are where I like to go and visit from time to time when I feel I need time alone.Especially when there are lines like this:“Books are, for me, it must be said, the most important thing; what I cannot forget is that there was a time when they were at once more banal and more essential than that. When I was a child, books were everything. And so there is in me, always, a nostalgic yearning for the lost pleasure of books. It is not a yearning that one ever expects to be fulfilled.”

A gem of a book. Loved it…a story that echoes other stories, reminding you of the books you love and making you want to visit them once again.DescentThis was a wonderful bookish book. The MC, Margaret has been raised in a bookshop and spends her day working and reading there, having become something of an “amateur” biographer as she terms it. Books have been her school, her university, her life. Like I say it was just ooooh so bookish.“…you leave the previous book with ideas and themes - characters even - caught in the fibres of your clothes, and when you open the new book they are still with you.”DepthThe storyline follows the biographer’s trip to interview Vida Winters, a prolific, famous and secretive author. The author has never given a truthful account of her life…until now. Margaret journeys to her house in Yorkshire, and you cannot help think (as the MC does) of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Through Miss Winter’s story we discover her tale (and there is a house) Angelfield House involved in the tale. But we are taken down the twists and turns of history, of literature, history echoing story or story echoing history, hungering to discover Miss Winter’s true tale, which, in turn, shares painful similarities with Margaret’s own.AscentI devoured this in two sittings, and I didn’t want to come out of it. It felt like a homage to other wonderful books as well. Just after reading it, I delved into Wuthering Heights again and I’m going to see Jane Eyre shortly at the theatre. So all in all, this is a book that you can luxuriate in and after leaving gets you in the mood to jump into lots of other stories that have inspired it. Also bought a copy of Rebecca recently on holiday, which has a lot to do with the ideas from this book still percolating in my head!