Fairest Flesh - Who is the Fairest and Bloodiest of Them All?
"Hope is a trick. Comfort is a trick." Such sorrowful words that can only make for a pained and despairing existence. Truly, this is the underlying motif of this story.
This is a compelling historical fiction novel about Erzsébet Báthory. It encompasses not only her life, but the lives of those around her and just how dark quite a few of their minds and hearts were. When I was younger, I always thought that Báthory worked alone and was feared by all, but it is clear (and true!) that she had help and was not alone in her vices and inclinations. I applaud the author for using factual details about Erzsébet to move the story along, like her epilepsy that was probably a result of her parents' inbreeding.
There are fairytale elements sprinkled in this story that dabble within the realm of witches and Snow White. The theme dances upon a retelling of the murders that Erzsébet committed as well as beauty and vivaciousness becoming an addiction. The two main characters we see, Erzsébet and Dorottya, are polar opposites physically, but twins when it comes to their visceral appetites and dark leanings. K.P. Kulski does an exceptional job of casting light on both characters. She makes you like them, understand them in some ways, and then feel absolute revulsion and horror when their innermost thoughts are revealed through irredeemable actions. The cold, meticulous evil is summed up so neatly in the line, "It never had to do with the blood. It was about the absence, the cleanliness of the vessel left behind."
I was taken in by the author's writing and ability to so beautifully draw metaphors and utilize foreshadowing. For example, "Above the bed, a tapestry of the Báthory dragon snaked along the wall, bearing its three great teeth piercing a glove of crimson. Susanna couldn't think of a better symbol for this child she had raised." K.P. Kulski also describes a simple setting in a very effectual way, "Windows stared like empty sockets, casting about for light they remembered but could no longer sense." This line struck me in particular because Erzsébet Báthory was actually placed under house arrest (castle arrest, really) at the end of her murderous reign, and it feels accurate to me that her very own expression would mimic this description perfectly.
I absolutely love how this novel wraps itself up in a neat package. I had to carefully re-read certain parts to make connections, but that was my fault for trying to fly my eyes through the pages with the same speed as my mind's alacrity.
A huge thank you to K.P. Kulski for providing Horrorbound.net with a copy of her book for review!
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