The Tandem Lowdown: Psychological Gothic ft. Erin Kelly’s The Skeleton Key
What happens when you mix psychological literature with the gothic? An unputdownable and atmospheric read. We’re hooked.
Gothic literature has been popular since it appeared in 1764 with Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, the first book to call itself gothic. The style’s popularity went hand-in-hand with a revival of gothic architecture and was influenced by it, with stories set in crumbling monasteries, castles and ruins. An element of decay is often palpable in gothic stories - Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, with Miss Havisham’s rotting bridal meal and the eerie graveyard scene is a perfect example. Gothic literature is characterised by a pervasive sense of horror, a romanticised past, romance and sexuality (a natural reaction to the constrained Victorian society in which the genre flourished), and the uncanny, brought to life through plot devices like the doppleganger, live burials and dreamscapes. The past is very present in gothic fiction. Notable authors of the genre include Angela Carter, Mary Shelly, Robert Louis Stephenson, Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Bronte and Wilkie Collins.
Psychological fiction, on the other hand, “holds a mirror up to society”, according to author Erin Kelly. Delving into the psyche of its protagonists, narratives are driven forward by the psychological and emotional state of key characters. It’s a broad genre, sitting under the even broader genre of crime, and includes its own sub-genres: psychological horror and psychological thriller. Author Erin Kelly spoke to crime and thriller reader,Lex on Instagram Live about her most recent novel, Watch Her Fall, a psychological thriller written during lockdown that’s been described as a mix between Black Swan and Killing Eve. “What I love about psychological thrillers,” she said, is that, “no matter how extreme the plot, there is always something you can recognise.” They must have “some kind of physical peril”, but otherwise the genre is hugely versatile. Notable authors of the genre include Gillian Flynn, Agatha Christie, Stephen King, Margaret Atwood and Patricia Highsmith.
The lines between literary genres are blurry, and you could say that gothic fiction has always held an aspect of the psychological. Dickens’ Miss Havisham, for example, is the product of emotional trauma and there is both physical and psychological decay in the novel. However, the hybrid psychological gothic genre takes classic tropes from both genres and pushes them to their limits. Claustrophobic novels featuring doppelgangers and characters returning from the past to haunt the present, framed by distrurbed, intense and emotionally precarious mental states that tip the whole plot off kilter. The comfort of a familiar gothic novel is thrown off enough to have you hooked from start to finish. And the result is a gripping, immersive and deliciously nostalgic read.
In Erin Kelly’s soon-to-be-released ninth novel, the author dips her toes into the world of gothic literature. It’s a shift for her from firm psychological thriller ground. Erin and Lex spoke about The Skeleton Key and her move into the psychological gothic genre for an episode that will soon appear on The Tandem Collective Talks podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Acast. It’s not out yet, but here’s a tiny sneak peek… Erin told Lex how, for her, “The claustrophobia and drama of gothic fiction has a timeless appeal.” “The more I think about conventions of the genre - doppelgangers and people coming back from the dead - the more fun I am having with it.”
While we wait eagerly for Erin’s next book and the dedicated podcast episode to be released, we’ve been gathering recommendations for gothic and psychological fiction to whet our appetites. Here’s some that’ll have you glued to your sofa.
A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine
Gothic thriller
Written by Ruth Rendell under a pen name, this novel is the one Erin Kelly described as the “gateway drug to my career”. A mystery set in a stately home where the skeletons of a woman and child are uncovered by accident, the novel became a BBC radio and TV series, won the Crime Writers’ Association Golden Dagger, and was shortlisted for the Dagger of Daggers. In other words, it's an indisputable must read!
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Gothic fiction
A fantastically atmospheric and gripping novel. This modern female gothic story is centred around a naive protagonist who marries a wealthy man and moves to his country estate, only to discover that her new husband, his staff and home, are haunted by the memory of his dead first wife.
The Silent Companions by Laura Parcell
Gothic fiction
Laura Purcell’s protagonist Elsie finds herself pregnant and alone at her late husband’s country estate. Surrounded by hostile villagers and staff, and far from the life of luxury she’d anticipated, Elsie discovers a painted wooden figure who bears a striking resemblance to her, hidden in a locked room. It’s an unsettling, creepy and intense horror novel, an “ eerie slice of Victorian gothic” according to the Guardian.
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Psychological thriller
An exciting domestic thriller from the New York Times bestselling Alice Feeney, Rock Paper Scissors is a pure psychological thriller. Can you work out which of the protagonists is lying? Who doesn’t want them to live happily ever after? Feeney is known as the queen of the killer twist for a reason, this is one that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Watch Her Fall by Erin Kelly
Psychological thriller
How could we not recommend this one? Erin Kelly’s most recent novel is set in the tense, competitive world of a ballet company, where a single mistake or misstep spells the end of a dream career. Protagonist Ava is a prima ballerina, poster girl for Swan Lake. But someone wants to see her fall. Featuring the hardest twist she’s ever written, Erin had us on tenterhooks until the very end.
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Psychological gothic
An homage to gothic settings, b movies and pulp according to its author, Shutter Island is a classic of the psychological gothic genre. Set in a psychological hospital on an island, this is a complex, tense novel. The uncanny typical of gothic novels is produced by a series of truths, each revealing that a previous truth is a lie, that nothing and no one can be trusted. The hospital, the island, a vicious storm, a cave and a lighthouse, all are gothic settings but the plot is driven by the precarious grip on reality and the emotional turmoil experienced by Lehane’s protagonist, Teddy.
The Skeleton Key, Erin Kelly’s ninth novel, a psychological gothic tale about one book, two families, and a lifetime of obsession, will be published on 1st September 2022. You can pre-order The Skeleton Key in hardback from Waterstones, for the Kindle from Amazon, and the audiobook is available from Audible.
