A Quick Note On This Review: This article includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org as a way of supporting both local bookshops and my own ability to write.
Dr. Emily Wilde has taken up residence at the rural, Norwegian village of Hrafnsvik in search of lore about the Hidden Ones to include in her encyclopaedia. Emily is a talented academic who hopes this field study will add heft to her bid for a tenured position at Cambridge, but her social skills are somewhat…lackluster. She struggles to connect with the villagers when Wendel Bambleby, a Cambridge colleague with whom she has a complicated relationship with, shows up and attaches himself to Emily’s research project as a way of clearing his own name of accusations of academic misconduct. Of course, a disgraced colleague trying to attached himself to her – perhaps in more ways than one – is the least of Emily’s concerns as a dark faerie magic comes to call at Hrafnsvik and she must choose between calculated objectivity and the lives of those she’s become fond of.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett was a book that intrigued me because of its premise as a historical fantasy novel following an academic studying the Fae. This juxtaposition of the super logical approach of a university researcher alongside the chaotic nature of fae creatures made me imagine the author was attempting to pull off something humorous and light hearted. On reading the book, I found that Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies was as light-hearted and humorous as I imagined, but the author still provided a story substantive enough to warrant my rereading it a handful of times.
Fawcett’s novel creates a character in Emily Wilde that simultaneously embodies the strong independent female protagonist and undercuts the kind of super independence that everyone can be guilty of at one point or another in this lives. Emily perceives the world through the lens of objectivity and doesn’t want to be beholden to anyone, so approaches every relationship like it’s a set of impersonal transactions. The introduction of Wendel underscores this as his flirtation with Emily is met with skepticism and an underlying assumption that he couldn’t possibly be interested in her for her. There ensues several other humorous instances, sometimes initiated by Wendel and sometimes by Emily, where their own clustered view of the world is met with serious consequences for those around them.
For casual readers, Fawcett’s novel enables a wider audience than is typical in a novel like this. There are components that lovers of fantasy, historical fiction, and romance novels would thoroughly enjoy without any one element being so overwhelming that it would turn the others off. There’s also a lightness about the story and enough humor that anyone looking for an easy read to lighten their mood could find it in Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies despite some of the darker images that sometimes get integrated into the narrative or the academic narrative style. Further, the characters Fawcett introduces in the first of her trilogy offers a opportunity for anyone who enjoys strong female protagonist and quirky supporting characters.
For writers, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies serves as a template for creating a bridge among genres. Fawcett balances elements of light academia, Fairy tales, history, humor, and romance so deftly that a wide audience could enjoy the novel without too much difficulty, making Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies a novel that is truly accessible to many without losing itself through dilution. Further, Fawcett’s depiction of her heroine serves as an effective lesson in how to create characters that are simultaneously loveable and critical of modern ideas around hyper independence or objectivity. Finally, Fawcett’s novel is somewhat unique in its use of journal entries to tell the story, which makes it a useful addition to the reading of any writer who wants to pursue this kind of format.
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What’s Next?
I am an avid reader and have quite a few thoughts on how some books could benefit both people that want to be entertained and those looking to sharpen their literary skills.
If you’re interested in finding out more about what I’ve been reading – and how it could benefit you – I will be publishing those thoughts on Fridays on a weekly basis. Check back next week for a discussion of Adelle Waldman’s Help Wanted!
The Writerly Review 