Dickinstein by Shannon Yarbrough reviewed by fellow author Tim Hawken.
Hailed as one of the greatest American poets of all time, Emily Dickinson was a recluse who spent most of her time locked in her room writing. Or was she?
Dickinstein: Emily Dickinson – Mad Scientist
By Shannon Yarbrough
Published by Rocking Horse, October 2013
ISBN: 098956858X
307 pages
Review by Tim Hawken
In this intensely interesting work of speculative fiction, Shannon Yarbrough creates an alternative story to the unknown world of Emily Dickinson. In the tradition of mashups like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, we see two seemingly incompatible world’s spliced together, to create a story that is both engaging and oddly, believable.
Dickenstein begins in ‘real-word’ Amherst, Massachusetts: Emily Dickinson’s childhood home. Yarbrough develops a very true-to-life relationship between Emily and her sister Vinnie, as well as a sensitive character behind the poet herself. Emily’s carefree spirit, her connection with nature, and passion for writing are meticulously crafted to fit with what was known of this historical figure. Yet, when Emily receives a copy of Frankenstein from her close friend and tutor Benjamin Newton, things begin to change. Emily becomes obsessed with the idea of creating a ‘second life’ device, using science to resurrect animals and insects she finds around her property. Each time, Emily tries her experiments on a larger creature, always with delightful results. She secretly communicates her successes to another mentor, Dr. Charles Wadsworth, who she later refers to as the ‘Master’. Master pushes her even further, wondering if the device could perhaps be used on a human? When her friend Benjamin Newton dies of tuberculosis, Emily is faced with the morbid option of digging him up and breathing a second life into his corpse…
Overall this is a spectacular feat of writing, both from a sense of historical reconstruction and an imaginative take on the myth behind a secret life, we really know very little about. Shannon Yarbrough brilliantly frames each chapter using the poems of Dickinson, which have a direct relationship to what is happening in the story. It is clear he has done his research and is an ardent fan of Dickinson’s work. It really is as if this story could have happened. This is a testament Yarbrough’s strong character development and alignment with historical facts. The language used fits the time period well, and the voice really is one that is easy to absorb without being stale. The speculative character of Emily draws you right into her world, to a point where you keep thinking, “my God, could this have happened?” I did, however, wonder at times whether some of the plot points were just a little too convenient. Emily never really struggles to find a dead creature to experiment on, nor does she encounter any problems with her machine. It works flawlessly every time without the need for calibration or proper experimentation. I would liked to have seen more tension and angst built around these points to make it even more realistic. She loves these creatures; it would have been compelling to see her stretched to the point of insanity to make them live again. Instead, she comes across as one of the most measured characters in the whole book. Surely someone who lived so reclusively could have been more unhinged? This ‘fantasy’ version of Emily might have been stretched even further to create more wonder and macabre twists. These a just minor concerns though. The overall novel is fantastic. While there are no zombies eating brains, or monsters running rampart, there is a strongly sinister undertone throughout that will have you questioning the morality of both science and religion.
If you’re looking for something dripping with blood, terror and mad science, you’ll possibly be disappointed. However, if you’re a fan of Emily Dickinson already, or want a story that poetically blurs the lines between fact and fiction in a wonderfully tense setting, then Dickinstein is highly recommended.
I give it 4 out of 5 resurrected tutors.
