Harrowing Historicals: Review | Captivity by Deborah Noyes

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Unbridled Books
Release Date: June 1st, 2010
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher.

Captivity shines a light on the thrilling experiences of Maggie and Kate Fox, two young sisters living in upstate New York in the mid-19th Century who claimed they could communicate with the dead. Looking to capitalize on the sensationalism surrounding her sisters, eldest Fox daughter Leah turns Maggie and Kate into an entertainment act, having them perform séances for audiences large and small across the country. The sisters’ apparent success as mediums and the widespread fame that followed them led to an increased nation-wide interest in the paranormal, jump-starting the American Spiritualist Movement.

Alongside this story is told the fictional tale of Clara Gill, an introverted artist who has locked away her heart and herself from the world, choosing to live as a spinster residing with her elderly father, despite her dwindling child-bearing years. After having experienced some difficulties back in London some years ago (the circumstances of which the reader is yet unaware), Clara has no interest in the world outside the four walls of her bedroom. In her own words, “Difficulties…is a euphemism for scandal, in my experience.”

As I began reading Captivity I was immediately struck by the author’s beautifully-rendered prose. Noyes’s verse is effortlessly lyrical and a true pleasure to read. Something about the rhythm of Noyes’s writing really held my attention and kept the writing itself interesting, as if the overall premise of the story were not enough! Good writing certainly contributes to a book’s success, but add to that a fascinating true story interspersed with a touching fictional one and you have a recipe for a captivating (couldn’t resist!) read.

I enjoyed the way the book jumped back and forth between Clara’s story and that of the Foxes, though the third person narrative did prohibit a certain degree of closeness to the characters. The book also jumps back and forth through time, slowly but surely revealing the cause of Clara’s reclusive nature. The incorporation of Clara’s character and her heartbreaking ordeal adds some needed depth to the story, as I found the Fox sisters amusing and certainly entertaining, but felt they could have been more fully fleshed out to allow the reader to feel a stronger connection to the girls. Nevertheless, the remarkable experiences they encountered and the instant fame and criticism that soon surrounded them makes for the basis of a wonderful novel.

At its heart Captivity is a story of faith, skepticism, love, and even friendship, spotlighting two very different women both stuck in a confined Victorian world. Clara’s quiet, mundane life, when juxtaposed with the larger-than-life realities surrounding Maggie and “The Fox Sisters”, reveals itself with delicacy. The need to know what happened to Clara to bring her to her present circumstances, as well as the yearning to see where the sisters’ fame will take them next will keep readers flipping pages well into the night.

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