The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James Addresses the Issue- Is It Ever Okay to Erase Family?
A Book Review on The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James
by Jeneane Vanderhoof
The Woman in the Castello by Kelsey James is an amazing story, a mystery that had me on the edge of my seat and then biting my nails, it got so suspenseful. It begins with a first-generation American girl, Silvia Whitford, who is broke, a young single mother, whose mother is dying. It is the early period of film, the age of the silver screen (or near it), and Silvia has received her first role in the movie, Five Days in Roma. And, since the movie is set in Italy, Silvia, her mother, and her daughter have traveled back to her mother’s homeland, where she once had a family. And where her mother plans to die.
However, the war managed to take the lives of all of them, except her mother’s sister. A woman Silvia has never met and her mother has never talked to since the War. And, while the war didn’t take Silvia’s aunt’s life, it took her mind, heart, and soul. Because when Silvia arrives and finally meets her aunt she finds out why her mother despises her sister so much. Because she was a Nazi supporter who played roles in many of the movies that the party put into the world, which were used as Nazi propaganda.
When Silvia arrives for her first day on the set she is told that Five Days in Roma no longer has the money to make the picture. Luckily Silvia meets Paul, one of the men who works behind the scenes, helping to make movies. So when he finds himself working on another picture, knowing that Silvia had come to Italy to make a movie and was shafted, he helps to get her cast in his new picture.
Silvia does wonderful in her audition, managing to snag a bigger part than expected, actually one of the main parts. So now the young mother is a real actress, cast in a spooky romance set in an Italian castle, haunted by a beautiful ghost. The castle they have chosen to shoot the movie is her aunt’s home which, while not in the best condition, is surrounded by a beautiful yet spooky environment- perfect for the picture.
After they begin to shoot the film in Silvia’s aunt’s house, the woman seems to disappear without a trace and Silvia seems to be the only concerned one. However, after reassuring the niece that her aunt will show up, Silvia settles and studies her script, ready to be the next biggest thing on screen. After all, she barely knows anything about the woman and even though her aunt didn’t seem like she wanted to leave or would, that no one else is worried, puts the thoughts onto the backburner for a time.
But when things begin to happen, things that seem like they could be accidents, but begin to mount, one after the other, when Silvia sees her dress for a big scene cut in several places she finally feels she has proof there is a saboteur on set. But Silvia has no way to prove it to the others and they seem to be the ones who have the power to do anything about what is going on. And with accidents that are not accidents Silvia wonders if her aunt’s disappearance was forced- did she not leave by her own volition? And what could have happened to her? And, Silvia realizes she also must do something before these so-called “accidents” turn deadly- because they are all directed at her.
The Woman in the Castello is a spine-chilling horror mystery full of suspense with characters from the long-ago Silver Screen. And, with a romance that is meant to heat up the movie screen that, in real life, is anything but- when a real relationship begins to develop on set with Silvia and the “go-to guy” Paul, the pages heat up and readers are left to wonder, after this, will Silvia remain a single mother?
It’s definitely a book you want to read, much different from others as you usually do not find a character that supported the Nazi party in a book, where they aren’t a terrible villain- Silvia’s aunt, who is more a person who went along with the Nazi’s to become a film star. And by doing that, lost her whole family until her niece showed up at her home.
The Woman in the Castello begs the question, should we punish a person forever when they make a terrible decision out of selfish desire and self-gain gain- erase them from family history, or prohibit a niece from knowing her aunt? Never speak to them again? And then, to only use this exiled family member when we need something- like a place to live as Silvia does? Because while Silvia has struggled, her aunt, I am sure, struggled worse- with having supported a losing party in a War and a particularly brutal, demonic one. Plus, after making a terrible choice, that not only haunts others, it seems to haunt Silvia’s aunt, terribly so.
But, didn’t they both, in a way, end up in the same place? And, when will forgiveness come? Because Silvia herself is a single mother at a time when most women didn’t do things like that- and many were ostracized for it. In a way the two have some similarities however, Silvia has never been made to pay for them, as her aunt has, with the loss of her entire family- what was left of them, after the War ended, by being erased yet still there.
Kelsey James brings this split family to the page and in the end, I really want to know what the resolution is, if there will be one, between Silvia’s aunt and her sister (Silvia’s mother). Or will Silvia’s mother die with hate in her heart for her sister (Silvia’s aunt)? Will she leave this world without seeing her own blood? And will Silvia turn her back on her aunt as the entire family has? Will Silvia’s aunt even come back or did something else happen, something nefarious and will there be no real resolution for the woman at all?
Very entertaining 5-star read- and a great one during the Halloween holiday coming up!