After reading and raving about Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale, I was excited to get a chance to read her latest novel, Bellman & Black.
In the English countryside during the reign of Queen Victoria, a ten year old boy, trying to impress his friends, kills a rook with a slingshot. Although William Bellman feels remorse, he soon forgets this incident. But rooks, apparently, never forget. As Bellman grows, his life seems charmed. He goes to work for his uncle, who owns a mill. William becomes the manager, and the mill grows more and more successful. He spends his evenings at the local pub, and is popular with all.
When William’s mother Dora dies, he notices a mysterious stranger at the funeral. Thereafter, he encounters this man at every funeral he attends. William marries and eventually has four children. When his uncle dies, William takes over the mill and the business grows and strengthens. When a devastating disease spreads through the town, Bellman’s wife and three youngest children (as well as many villagers) die. His eldest, Dora, is dying. At the churchyard, Bellman sees the mysterious stranger. Bellman comes to an agreement with him. Dora is spared, but not unscarred. Bellman goes on to open a successful London emporium, which he names Bellman & Black. This macabre store caters to all things funerary. Mourning clothes in shades of black; coffins; stationery.
Bellman sees “Mr. Black” the night before the store opening. Although he sets aside a generous portion of the profits from the store for him, Bellman does not see Mr. Black for many years.
This is quite a bizarre story. It is interspersed with facts and lore about rooks. William Bellman is as strange a character as the mysterious Mr. Black. He works relentlessly, rarely sparing time for his beloved family. In London, he owns several homes, but lives at the store. And for such an intelligent man, it just takes him too long to realize who Mr. Black actually is.
So-did I like this book? Yes, but I didn’t love it. The concept is bizarre, and the plot is nowhere near as interesting as The Thirteenth Tale. But I would definitely look forward to reading anything that Diane Setterfied writes, as her style is so elegant and precise.
In USA:
Published in hardcover-Atria/Emily Bestler Books (Simon & Schuster)-2013
Softcover edition-to be published-Atria/Emily Bestler Books- September 2014
La Bibliofille 
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