ABANDONED. Macabre tale involving insanity, magic, murder, defecation, infanticide

[Natalie]

Hi and thanks for your attention. I've been trying to figure out what this book is for some time! I cannot remember the author's name. It's quite a short story, written in the first person.
It is about a man who at first is repulsed by a woman he meets at some event but becomes strangely captivated by her. I think he is quite high up in the army or something. He goes to her house to request her hand in marriage, her Dad is I think a soldier and is insane.
They end up getting married, she is also insane and very hostile towards him. She gives birth to a daughter whom she kills when the child is still a baby and she bribes the man into telling the authorities that it was the Nanny who did it.
She has an affair with a man which her husband finds out about, there is a long scene where the husband is hiding whilst the woman and her lover discuss their affair. She has magical powers.
The man has her lover shot and he takes his wife to a tower where he defecates on her head and I think also rapes her (It's quite a dark tale) before locking the tower door and leaving her to die.
Gradually he starts to lose his mind, he begins to see her everywhere and has conversations with her, she is often dressed in strange outfits during their meetings.
In the end he goes back to the tower and opens the door, he has sex with her corpse and she comes back to life, they are in love with one another.. hard to tell whether the ending is real or if it's just his mad delusions.

It is a brilliant story and I want it so badly. It's a long shot but any idea what it could be?? I would be so grateful if someone could tell me!

[Ann aka Iftcan]

When did you read this Natalie?

[Natalie]

Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "When did you read this Natalie?"

Hi Ann,

Thanks for your reply! It was a few years ago now, I borrowed it from the library. I've no idea when it was written but the one I had was definitely a new edition though.. the book itself can't be that old due to some of the lewd events that take place :)
I think the writer may have been Russian or German but I couldn't say for definite.

Sorry to be so vague and thanks for your time!

[Serendi]

Maybe one of the stories in There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya?

[Natalie]

Serendi wrote: "Maybe one of the stories in There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya?"

Thanks Serendi,

The story itself was a novella though, it wasn't within a book of short stories but it may have been by this author as her stories seem very dark and grim... even if the story I'm looking for isn't by her I might have to check her stories out! :D

[Natalie]

Still searching..

[Natalie]

Can anyone help?

[Tab]

Natalie wrote: "Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "When did you read this Natalie?"

Hi Ann,

Thanks for your reply! It was a few years ago now,..."

How long ago is "a few years?" Five years ago, 10 years ago?

Do you remember anything about the cover?

[Natalie]

I read it about 3 years ago, the cover was quite abstract I think, reddish tones I think..

[Natalie]

_

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Natalie, are you still looking for this book?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Natalie, are you still looking for this book?"

No response. Moving to Abandoned.