The Lamplighter by Crystal J. Bell (review)

Reviewed by: The Lamplighter by Crystal J. Bell Cassidy Russell Bell, Crystal J. The Lamplighter. Flux, 2024 304p Paper ed. ISBN 9781635830989 14. 99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781635830996 9. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 8-10 "Don't lose yourself in the fog" is the guiding rule for the unnaturally foggy New England whaling town of Warbler, where no one who goes missing has ever been found alive. Eighteen-year-old Temperance, who works as Warbler's first female lamplighter, is convinced that Gideon, the town's ship carver and suitor to her younger sister Pru, is to blame for the town's missing women. Temperance is too ashamed to admit to anyone, including her sister, that Gideon assaulted her two years prior and is threatening her now. So, when Temperance discovers that Gideon creates his famed carvings by turning missing women into wood, she shoulders the burden of ending his demonic power alone. While the realism of Warbler and the magical world of fog don't fit seamlessly together, Bell's women-trapping demon works as a clever metaphor for other ways women are trapped by Warbler's eighteenth-century social mores, and feminist-leaning readers will recognize the book's comment on contemporary rape culture inherent in Temperance's fear of being blamed for her assault. Bell's short but melodic sentences, all told in Temperance's voice, make clear Temperance's motivations and mistakes without removing the shock of the horrors she discovers. Unfortunately, few other characters are given much nuance: Pru and Gideon just barely skirt being recognizable stock characters, and the men are almost caricatures in their villainy or haplessness. Fortunately, the compelling mystery will likely drive readers past the lack of character depth. While the unexpected twists make a clear argument for the importance of community, this is not a story of happily ever-afters, as the villain triumphs in a conclusion that offers little hope or happiness. End Page 242 Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois