Book Review: The Thirteenth Tale - A Novel

Reading this book reminds me of the time when I was "required" to read "Wuthering Heights" in the 8th grade.  Many readers compared this book to "Jane Eyre" because it shares a similar English setting, and the book "Jane Eyre" is actually one of the props used by the story.  I personally have the same reading experience reading this book as when I was reading "Wuthering Heights".  They are both creepy, dark and also mysterious.  I think this book is even darker and creepier than "Wuthering Heights".  While Jane Eyre gave me tears every now and then during my reading, this book gave me a sense of confusion and curiosity.  I couldn't put this book down for very different reasons than those that made me stay up all night reading "Jane Eyre".

I actually enjoyed reading this book because of its very "English" writing style.  This is not a book that a lot of  people can appreciate.  It's not some novels with a direct and simple prose.  It's very "English",  very "metaphorical",  and very "perceptive".  This book is about the telling of a strange and disturbing untold story.  The story has the power of slowly sucking me in.  Despite the story being weird for the story's sake, the writer's writing is absolutely intelligent and beautiful.  The ending totally satisfied my curiosity in searching for the great explanation for the weirdness of the book... If you are fans of "Jane Eyre", you may not like this book, but if you like "Wuthuring Heights", you will appreciate this book's darkness and its provocative story.