“The soul of Charles Percy Harkness slipped, like a neat white pocket-handkerchief, out through the carriage window into the sliver-blue air, hung there changing into a tiny white fleck against the immensity, struggling for escape about the purple-pointed trees of the dark wood, then realizing that escape was not yet, fluttered back into the carriage again, was caught by Charles Percy, neatly folded up, and put away.” Any novel that starts with a paragraph like that has me in its spell!
Charles Harkness, an American expatriate living in England, has simply floated through life, his few personal treasures his only company. On a vacation to the Midlands, he becomes entangled in the relationship between a newly married young woman named Hesther, her lifelong friend (and unrequited lover) David Dunbar, and her cold, aloof husband, Mr. Crispin, Jr.
But the most disturbing character in this unsettling novel is Mr. Crispin, Sr., who possesses flaming red hair, a melodious, comforting voice, and a hypnotic hold over everyone he meets. He’s also insane, and believes that only through pain can power over individuals be achieved. He can immediately identify a person’s weakness, no matter how small, and exploit it to prove his point. He can cause discomfort with a smile or the simple touch of his hand.
Portrait of a Man with Red Hair, Hugh Walpole’s 1925 work, was deemed unfit for publication as a serialized magazine piece because of its “revolting character.” Sold to another publisher, it became a popular example of the gothic novel. Even today, over 80 years later, Crispin, Sr. is a stunning creation, and a force to be taken seriously. No longer in print, it’s available free in full- text at Project Gutenberg Australia.
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