The Midnight Side

How much worse are suitors, who to men’s lust
Are made preys? O, worse than dust or worms’ meat,
For they do eat you now, whose selves worms shall eat. – John Donne, Thou shalt not laugh in this leaf, Muse (British Poet, Satirist, Author, 1572-1631)

The sin of pride may be a small or a great thing in someone’s life, and hurt vanity a passing pinprick, or a self-destroying or ever murderous obsession. – Iris Murdoch (British Novelist and Philosopher, 1919-1999)

We’re going to start a rumour. It’s easy: here’s how. And thus starts a tale of twisted obsession, of ghostly presence and lucid dreaming. A tale of suffering. But whose? And how far will obsession live within the soul? To the grave? Beyond?

Too late hee would the show more paine asswage,
And to thick shadowes does retire;
About with him hee beares the rage,
And in his tainted blood the fire.
Edmund Waller -The selfe-banished – (English Poet and Politician,1606 – 1687)

Isabella, or Isa to her friends, lives a life of quiet desperation in South Africa. The mistress of a married man for the past thirteen years, Isa has set aside her own needs for those of her lover, Eric. Eric, who has just died, leaving her with nothing but heartache.

In the night, as she lies dreaming, the phone rings, a flat, atonal sound, odd and strangely off-key, and the crackling voice of her cousin, Alette comes through. Alette, the wild and flighty girl with whom Isa was raised. Alette the strong, Alette the vibrant. And, as Isa is soon to learn, Alette who is two days dead.

Now back in London to close Allete’s estate, Isa receives a message from Allete along with a copy of her will. A very odd and devastating message, which leads Isa to carry out a twisted scheme against Jason, Allete’s ex-husband – an ex-husband whose tortures Allete lays out in a letter, sealed for only Isa.

Lucid dreaming, African mysticism. Alchemy and premonitions. Mostert’s The Midnight Side is a brooding, atmospheric tale of suspense and psychological thrill, full of the kinds of fear and gloomy atmosphere sure to lure in even the most jaded of readers. Isa wanders through the halls of her dreams, following orders, reaching out . . . and changing within herself. The Vigyan Bhairava Tantra, the seventh sutra, says, “ . . . reach the heart at the instant of sleep and seek direction over dreams and over death itself.” Is Isabella following her heart? Or are the dreams of death drawing back the soul of her beloved cousin?

What cruelty, wasted love – love which lies only in recompense? Mostert speaks to deep waters of the mind, dark corners of the soul, the ruin brought on by wounded and damaged souls. And yet, her journey also showcases the beauty and drabery of London itself, with it’s fogs and rains, the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery of the British Museum, the odd libraries and collections, the tea shops and cathedrals. The mass of cultures and foods and beliefs. A brooding city of history and blood and loss and joy, all wrapped up in banks of fog and fire, melancholy, and old, old guilt.

What Isa does and doesn’t do, thinks and feels and suffers leads you through murky darkness, fear, and the question, or promise, of forbidden destiny.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review. Highly recommended. show less

This is a story of unhappy people, death and revenge... in that order
I enjoyed the first part of this book when I thought it was going in a different direction. The main character Isabelle or "Isa" is weak, confused and not a very likeable person, of course spending years with a married man and having the affair end in his death just might have something to do with it! I knew right away who the "bad guy" was, having said that, he was someone I would have liked to know a little more about. I did however enjoy the ending...:)
As young cousins in South Africa Isabelle and Alette were inseparable, traveling and sharing in each others dreams. As adults they had grown apart until a phone call from Alette awakens Isa in the middle of the night. show more Isa soon learns her cousin was dead at the time of the call. Isa is contacted by an attorney and told she has inherited her cousins home in England and there are special circumstances, Isa must come at once.
Arriving at Alette's home Isa finds Alette was murdered and that even in death she has something she desperately needs from her cousin and reaching out from the grave is one way to get Isa to do it. So ensues a woman's obsession that follows her even in death, may she rest in peace... show less

This book is what would have been classified a gothic back in the 60s and 70s, as it has all the trappings of that genre - a creepy house, a dead relative, a mysterious will and several men who could be the hero or could be the villain. Add to the mix an assault on the heroine, phone calls from the deceased and strange nightly visitations and there you have it. Which is not to denigrate or belittle this book in any way. Some of our greatest authors were considered gothic suspense writers back in those days.

As someone who is partial to that particular genre, I can only say that I loved this book. This was Natasha Mostert's first book and it shines right from the beginning. Everything I've read by her thus far has been well worth it.

This was an excellent read. I received it free as a member of Net Galley, and I'm so glad that this helped me discover this author.

The Midnight Side is a story about two cousins that share an incredibly close bond. One cousin, Alette, meets an early demise and calls upon her cousin, Isa, to carry out her final wishes. The story is told through the viewpoint of Isa, although there are a few chapters that tell other characters' side of the story. The synopsis references the "phone calls from the dead". That premise had the ability to get cheesy really quickly, but the author intertwined the supernatural in such a way that made it very believable. And creepy.

I loved that the characters did not behave as I thought they would. I'll admit, at show more certain points I was disappointed in their actions, but I loved that the story kept me guessing.

Overall, this was a great story! It reminds me of "The Silent Wife" in the complicated relationships and the mystery surrounding the series of events, but I have to say that I liked this one even better. show less

When Isa gets a late night cryptic phone call from her cousin, Alette, she is surprised to learn later that the phone call was made after Alette has already died. Swept off to London to handle her cousin's affairs, she finds herself caught up in a plan laid out in Alette's will - one that she finds a bit difficult to carry out. But she shortly learns there was much more to her cousin and her cousin's life - and death - than she'd imagined.

I recently read Natasha Mostert's Season of the Witch, which I very much enjoyed, and I wasn't too surprised to find this book just as enjoyable. Mostert has quite a skill for crafting a mystery/suspense novel with paranormal elements and romantic overtones, and it's very easy to get caught up in her show more books. I definitely recommend this to those interested in any one or more of those qualities because I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

(eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.) show less

A very good book about obsession and manipulation. It kept me guessing until the end. I enjoyed the lucid dreaming parts, I have been interested in psychic and lucid dreaming phenomena for years. I'm not much for poetry, and the 16th century romantic poetry at the start of each chapter was a bit boring.

This is cleverly written ghost-mystery story filled with suspense and romance gone wrong. In addition it is a real literary gem. The prose is as smooth as glass and both delights and captures your attention.