The Visitant by Megan Chance

Narrated by Julia Whelan

Megan Chance is someone I’ve been aware of for a while as an author of historical gothic mysteries with a touch of the supernatural about them, but I’ve not so far read or listened to one of her books. I have now rectified that situation with The Visitant, which I enjoyed well enough to want to delve into her back catalogue and keep an eye out for future books.

The novel’s subtitle says it all, really – A Venetian Ghost Story is a very apt description! But even with that massive hint as to what to expect, I was nonetheless gripped by the story, which is well-written and darkly atmospheric with an increasingly pervasive sense of menace; and which is peopled by an intriguing and strongly drawn set of characters.

It is 1884, and Elena Spira has been sent from New York to Venice to act as nurse to Samuel Farber, a young man from a wealthy family who was badly injured when he was set upon by a group of ruffians while out on a massive bender. When she arrives at the Casa Basilio, she is dismayed to discover that the place is practically falling down around her ears, and that the housekeeper, Giulia, is obstructive and unpleasant.

But Elena is undeterred and determined to do the best she can for her patient, an aim in which she is at first thwarted by Samuel himself as much as by Giulia, who insists on giving him food and drink which Elena believes will hamper his recovery, as well as providing other *ahem* services which are just as stimulating as the forbidden coffee the woman keeps sneaking to him.

While Samuel was badly beaten up, his external injuries are not the main reason Elena was sent to nurse him. He has previously been a patient at Glen Echo asylum, undergoing treatment for epilepsy, a condition which, at the time the story is set, was badly misunderstood and regarded by many as a form of insanity. Samuel’s parents want him restored to health within the next couple of months so that he can return home in order to be married to the young woman they have selected for him, and as Elena had worked closely with her father (the superintendent of the asylum), she was deemed the ideal candidate for the job. For her part, Elena is only too happy to leave behind her life in New York following a huge scandal which led to her father’s dismissal from his post, as well as to escape from the prospect of marriage to her cousin.

Her patient is surly and uncooperative, wanting nothing more than to be left alone to wallow in his misery and then, preferably, to drink himself to death. But Elena won’t give up on him and gradually, she earns his grudging respect. But as Samuel’s physical injuries begin to heal, his mental condition starts to deteriorate, his seizures becoming more frequent and increasingly violent. Not only that, but Elena starts to feel as though she is being watched and to experience sudden bouts of freezing cold, especially in Samuel’s presence. Being a sensible young woman of her time and not given to ridiculous fancies, Elena is determined to find a logical explanation for everything she is experiencing. But as she learns more about the tragic history of the Basilio family and then witnesses Samuel in the grip of a series of powerful hallucinations, she begins to believe that there is something sinister at work.

Not long after her arrival, she and its inhabitants are joined by Samuel’s best friend and owner of the palazzo, Nerone Basilio. Even though Elena has found herself unexpectedly drawn to Samuel, she is even more strongly attracted to the devilishly handsome and charming Nero, who shares her concern for Samuel’s health and offers to help her to keep him safe. Samuel soon sees which way the wind is blowing and even though he warns Elena to be careful with Nero, she can’t help but be captivated by him. Nero has secrets of his own, however, ones which could threaten Elena’s life and Samuel’s sanity as past sins return to haunt both him and the palazzo itself.

While the story is somewhat predictable in places, Ms Chance’s writing is so strong that it’s easy to overlook that fact and just enjoy her lovely prose, excellent characterisation and evocative descriptions of Venice in all its overblown decadent glory. The story has all the ingredients of a good gothic; an unsuspecting heroine, a hero with (possibly) darker motives and an inhospitable environment; and the author makes excellent use of all of those, even adding in a little bit of a love-triangle between Elena and the two men. Not that there’s any doubt as to which of them she is falling for – but even though she finds Nero fascinating, Elena continues to feel that pull towards Samuel she has felt since first meeting him. However, one of the reasons I haven’t rated the content more highly is that I wasn’t convinced by the love story between Elena and Nero, which developed rather quickly; and in fact, I found Samuel to be the more appealing of the two men. Elena also became a little annoying at times, because she seemed bent on repeating the mistakes which saw her sent to Italy in the first place. But the story is still enthralling, and the final chapters in particular are gripping as the stakes are pushed ever higher. The denouement is unexpected but inevitable.

Julia Whelan is a favourite narrator of many of my fellow AudioGals, but I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t listened to her before (probably because she doesn’t generally record the sort of European Historicals, which form the bulk of my listening diet!). Her performance here is highly accomplished and I enjoyed it very much; all the characters are easily distinguishable, and she performs the narrative expressively and at a good pace. I particularly liked the deep, gravelly tone she adopts to portray Samuel, which expertly conveys his exhaustion and the world-weary air that radiates from him. The slight accent she gives to Nero is consistent and works well to differentiate between the two men in the many scenes in which they are both present. I did, however, ask myself why she gave Nero an accent but didn’t do the same for Guilia and Valeria Basilio, Nero’s aunt, both of whom are also Italian. It didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment, but it did seem a little inconsistent.

All in all, I enjoyed listening to The Visitant very much and would certainly recommend it to anyone interested in gothic romances. As I’ve said, it is perhaps not the strongest book in the “unexpected twists” department, but if you enjoy a story in which the atmosphere builds gradually and grabs you slowly, then this is a definite contender for your wishlist.

Caz

Narration: A-

Book Content: B

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in, but at the tame end

Violence Rating: Minimal

Genre: Historical Romance (Gothic)

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

The Visitant was provided to AudioGals by Brilliance Audio for a review.

NOTE: While there are strong romantic elements in the story, there is not an HEA in the traditional sense. It does, however, end on an optimistic note.