The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal

Author : Elizabeth Macneal
Title : The Doll Factory
Published : 2019
Publisher : Picador
Pages : 387
Genre : Historical Fiction

     London. 1850. In Elizabeth Macneal's The Doll Factory, the doll maker Iris Whittle meets the artist Louis Frost. Louis is a Pre-Raphaelite painter who yearns to have his work displayed in the Royal Academy, and he is desperate for Iris to be his model. Iris agrees, on the condition that he teaches her to paint. Dreaming of freedom, Iris throws herself into this new life of art and love, unaware that she has caught the eye of a second man. Silas Reed is a curiosity collector, enchanted by the strange and beautiful. After seeing Iris at the site of the Great Exhibition, he finds he cannot forget her. As Iris's world expands, Silas's obsession grows. It is only a matter of time before they meet again.

     It seems at the moment you can't go anywhere near a book shop or blog without seeing The Doll Factory. It is a book that feels to have captivated all who have gone near it. So for once, I thought I might take a look at a new book rather than something that has been out for a while. When I read the blurb on the back it seemed like a very solid case for me wanting to read it. I'm all for the latest crime novel but I can't say I have ever read one in this time period. It's not something that has every real occurred to me. Most of the historic fiction I've read has only gone back as far as world war two. As I am starting to find out this might just be to my loss. Whilst me knowledge of the Pre-Raphalite's is fairly good in terms of the painting and works of art they put out, what was taking place around them was not great. But as I learned London was all changing at the time. I suppose these things go hand in hand. 

     For the most part, Iris is our leading hero, She is someone who feels stuck in her current situation.  When this book takes place there were not a great many options for her. And while working on dolls provides a steady income and stability, she is a woman who dreams of more. She perfectly fits the story the author is setting out. We get to know her so well that we a pulled into her dreams and everything that comes after. This brings us to Louis a man who not only sees her as his next model but also as someone he can help achieve her goals. I feel that these two truly benefit each other in both love and art. Each seeks out the best in the other and pushing them to strive for bigger things. There is only one small hitch in their bright future. Silas is one of those antagonists that you can relish in your dislike of him. The author has perfectly crafted this creepy and twisted man. He is someone for whom his obsessions are everything. It is safe to say the more you learn about the more he makes your skin crawl. I would not wish to generalize all taxidermists, but when it comes to crime fiction they do make for a great villain. It is with this great battle that at least two of them know nothing of that this author pulls out a strand that is a wonder to behold. 

     Let me say this, the world Macneal has created is one that I can still picture in my head. Whilst there are a great many places that are or were real she has added some form of magical element to them. It goes beyond what was into its own space. From the bright lights of a bustling city to a dark and foreboding basement with its strange inhabitants it is a world meant to pull you in and not let you go. She gives you such a visceral experience that it is hard to tear yourself away from it. Each location only adds to a story that certainly kept me right with these characters to the very end. As we are pulled from one hero to the next the story only builds its tension.  For Iris and Louis, everything seems on the up and up. On its own, it would be a tale of love and passion between two people who's demons dance to the same tune. It feels like it's in full techno color. It is only as Silas creeps into the shadow of there world does it take a far darker tone. And it is between these to palettes that Macneal has created a painting the is truly marvelous. 

     This is a book I could rave about for a great deal more. She has created a Gothic tale of love and obsession that is worthy of any of our time. The praise it has received is all worth it in my opinion, she has senselessly blend optimism and horror into this wild beast of a book that digs its dark claws into the reader. I can only imagine the time and effort that went into building this book. If you are looking for something to make you pull that blanket a little tighter around you and check the curtains a very closed The Doll Factory is just the ticket you are looking for.