Friday, May 2, 2014

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron


The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

So, I read a review of this book at bloggin bout books and thought it would be the perfect match for my tastes. I chose wisely because I really enjoyed this steampunk novel. Katherine Tulman is sent by her aunt to commit her crazy uncle to insane asylum. When she arrives at the family property she discovers that the estate is much more that it appears on the surface, employing an entire village of people, who build her uncle's brilliantly designed machines. Her aunt is right, though, there is something wrong with her uncle, but underneath his odd ways lives a mind that is brilliant with numbers and engineering. How can Katherine put such a mind into an asylum and how can she destroy the livelihoods of people on the estate? Yet, to disobey her aunt is to ensure a tortuous future for herself. Unable to make a decision Katherine spends the summer on the estate getting to know her uncle, and enjoying every last moment of precious freedom that she has left. Yet, it appears that she may have more in common with her uncle than she thinks. Does she also belong in an asylum? As her mind grows more disordered and forgetful Katherine fears what it means for her future.

This was an awesome book from a point-of-view/characterization stand point. I think the author did such a marvelous job showing the character through how she thought about things. It was really interesting to read a Victorian--themed novel whose main heroine had an affinity for numbers and logical thinking. It really made her feel different and unique. Her Uncle also had some form of autism probably, which also made him an interesting character. In the end you are rooting for Katherine to protect this vulnerable and brilliant man from those that would cast aside his brilliance because it was abnormal. I highly recommend this one.   
 
 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That sounds really interesting! Adding it to my to-read list.