“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.
In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.
Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another spooky story, this one focuses on witches. I never heard these kinds of stories growing up, maybe because we lived in another country from my great-grandmother, and we only visited in the summer. So I found this story fascinating.
Minerva is a graduate student focusing on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales. She recalls her great-grandmother Nana Alba saying, “Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”. It's how she began the stories she told Minerva that sparked her interest in horror literature.
While gathering information for her thesis, she uncovers information that Tremblay's most famous novel, The Vanishing, is inspired by a true story. During the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university as Minerva, where she met her beautifully, otherworldly roommate, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
As Minerva delves deeper into Tremblay's manuscript, she begins to sense that whatever was stalking the missing girl might still be roaming the campus. These events also remind her of a story Nana Alba shared from her youth in 1900s Mexico, where she encountered a witch.
She suspects that the same dark force that threatens the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now after her in 1990s Massachusetts.
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