Review: HIDEOUS LOVE by Stephanie Hemphill

I love a good biographical novel.  History has so many stories in and of itself, and yet it leaves room for the imagination to conjure its own legends.  Mary Shelley, author of FRANKENSTEIN, is a woman that intrigues so many readers, and who clearly inspired Stephanie Hemphill, author of HIDEOUS LOVE.

Balzer + Bray, October 2013.

Told in verse, HIDEOUS LOVE begins with an origin story of sorts, with Mary narrating portraits of her family — her half sisters, her obnoxious Stepmother, her hard-to-impress father.  And then she meets Percy Shelley, the poet, and Mary falls so head over heels in love that there’s no looking back.  Even if it means disgracing her family and being outcast by the ones she loves.

Over the span of several years, HIDEOUS LOVE chronicles the passionate and often tumultuous affair between Mary and Shelley, as they travel throughout Europe, become entangled in the affairs of other writers (such as the notorious Lord Byron) and are often accompanied by Jane, Mary’s half-sister.  Mary’s life was wrought with tragedy as much as it was passion, and this novelization of her history is a real page-turner, with intrigue around every corner.  This is definitely a book that historical fiction fans and fans of Mary Shelley will enjoy exploring.