4.5 stars!
THE STATEMENT OF STELLA MABERLY, by F. Anstey, was originally published in 1896. This Victorian classic has been brought back into print by Valancourt Books, along with additional details and an introduction that were not included in the original version. This was a beautifully written novel that never gives you a concrete answer to the issue facing Stella Maberly, after she is forced to become a paid companion to a one-time schoolmate, Evelyn Heseltine. The uncertainty that underlines this story is--in my opinion--what makes it stand out so well. It's the psychological aspect inherent in the characters that makes you second guess yourself every time you think you've come to a conclusion.
Stella is a proud, headstrong woman who has great difficulty in letting flow her true emotions. She is accustomed to hiding them behind a veil of indifference, forcing others to hover near her in an effort to right whatever wrong they imagined they may have done her.
". . . I seemed to be in the grip of some paralyzing force which would not relay by any effort of my own will, which made me hard and cruel in spite of myself."
Stella is all too aware of this, although she claims she has no control over her, at times, cruel behavior. In contrast, Evelyn is a gentle, loving soul, with a weakened heart. She is portrayed as a beautiful, caring individual, who would rather see others happy at the expense of all else. The two women make a curious combination, and yet we are to believe that there is really great affection on both sides for each other.
After an incident where Stella goes into one of her characteristically "silent" tantrums, she wakes to find Evelyn seemingly dead. A guilt--whether real or imagined--hits her suddenly, and she fervently prays for the return of her friend.
Then, Evelyn awakens.
Only, in Stella's view, this Evelyn is not the same gentle person who originally inhabited that body. Stella becomes convinced that an evil spirit has somehow reanimated Evelyn's mortal remains, and is trying to take over her life.
From here on out, the novel if full of intense, psychological moments. Is this really Evelyn? Has she simply changed from a passive bystander to a woman who was just now trying to assert some control over her surroundings? Or is there, in fact, a malignant spirit now inhabiting her body? The other possibility the reader is forced to consider--especially reverent in the fact that Stella herself has acknowledged that she doesn't always have "control of her actions"--is Stella Maybery simply going insane?
There are no easy answers here, and I honestly believe that the novel is perfect as it is. The question lingers, and I often found myself jumping back and forth between what I, personally, thought the truth to be.
Another incredible novel brought back by Valancourt Books!
Highly recommended!
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