Violeta by Nikki Roman presents an excellent example of Post-Modern Gothic Literature, a throwback to one of my favorite genres. The novel is the heir apparent to works like Jane Eyre, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Flowers in the Attic, The Thirteenth Tale, and Mexican Gothic.
What is Gothic Literature?
Gothic Literature contains an environment of fear, the threat of supernatural events, and the intrusion of past-upon-present. Usually, the settings depict houses full of dark secrets, and the atmosphere feels claustrophobic. Common elements include forms of false imprisonment, such as kidnapping or secreted away loved ones, and murder.
The horrible elements present a metaphor for the social and psychological conflicts involving the main characters and the society that surrounds them. Gothic stories contain flashbacks, changing narrators, and includes things like sleeplike states, echoes and silences, nocturnal locations, dreams, obscure family ties, and buried secrets.
What is Violeta About?
Fourteen-year-old Violeta Valentine lives with her older brother, Tommy, and their widowed mother in Arizona. Violeta’s mother isolates Violeta and targets her with abuse and neglect. Tommy tries to protect her as much as he can. This tense situation explodes one day when their mother puts both children’s lives in danger.
How is Violeta a Gothic Literature Work?
Violeta is a tense and, at times, disturbing novel that revolves around the anxieties in which families often find themselves — particularly between siblings or parents and children.
The Valentine family engage in continuous conflicts, emotional and psychological instability, and fragile dysfunction. Their claustrophobic relationship dances across the page operatic tragedy as the mother tightens her grip on the children’s lives.
Both Violeta and Tommy Valentine are abused and neglected by their volatile mother. The siblings feel confined and imprisoned physically, emotionally, and mentally by their mother’s behavior. The only family that they can depend on is each other.
Why Do I Recommend Violeta to Readers?
I highly recommend Violeta because of the tragic and beautiful characters. Violeta’s ethereal presence exudes an innocence in her longing to grow up while fear of the world created in her by an isolating mother fights against that desire.
The relationship with her brother, Tommy, emerges with him as hero not for his power but for his care for her, which is more like that of a loving parent than that of a sibling. His defense of Violeta against their mother’s tirades seals the emotional deal for me, while also adding character depth and growth.
Who Will Enjoy Violeta?
I recommend Violeta to any Gothic Literature fans out there. It’s also great for fans of high-quality YA fiction, even those who aren’t in love with the Gothic artform — as long as they can handle the address of dark, real world problems like child abuse and neglect.
Looking for more great reads? Check out these other reviews and stories from the MockingOwl Roost staff and contributors.
- The Gold Persimmon – A Dark Novel Review
- The Night You Wanted Money – Dark Flash Fiction
- Where the Dead Sleep, a Book Review
- A Silent Hello, an Unsaid Goodbye – Flash Fiction
- Sisterhood of the Infamous – a Dark Fiction Novel Review
- Good Versus Evil – a Fairy Tale
- Iphigenia Murphy – Coming of Age Book Review
- 11:11 – Flash Fiction
Julie Sara Porter
Julie has a Masters in Library Science from Indiana University.and a BA-English from University of Missouri-St. Louis. She's been a reader her whole life and a Professional Book Reviewer since 2017. She loves to read Fiction — especially Fantasy, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literature, Classics, and Mysteries — and Nonfiction like Biographies, History, Gender Studies, New Age/Spiritualism, and Literary Criticism. Julie lives in De Soto, Missouri. When she's not reading or reviewing, she's watching movies, shows, and YouTube videos; listening to New Age, Classical, and Retro music; writing fanfiction; and searching the Internet for new and interesting information and knowledge.
Find more of her work on the Bookworm Reviews Blog, and follow her on Facebook, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Threads, and Goodreads.
