Customer Reviews

Voices Airy

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I might be a sucker for tales of psychics and the supernatural, but it was the element of forbidden love that had me hooked on Voices Airy, by Catherine Karp. Even though Lucy, the main character, is jailbait, even by 1918 standards, the tension between her and Joseph, who is considerably older, had me pulling for their union all the way through the novel. Rosaline, a prostitute-turned-spirit-medium who sweeps Joseph off his feet and marries him, manages to be both a formidable adversary and a mother figure to her baby sister Lucy. Following their story was a gut-wrenching treat that had me cheering and crying for both of them, while enjoying the details of WWI San Diego at the same time.

I hope Catherine doesn't mind it if I tell you that, if I were going to write about mediums and 1918, I might have written Voices Airy. The novel takes us to very unexpected places, which is refreshing (to me) in this day and age when many plots and characters are predictable. Characters are well-rounded, they have good points and flaws, and you do find yourself wanting to desperately know where they are going (and in some cases, where they've been). The novel is full of subtle surprises that reveal both character and plot: a gift from a neighbor appears to be altruistic, though we later learn that it really is meant to ease guilt; those who have true gifts and those who don't are contrasted in an ironic fashion; jealousy from an unexpected sources even leads to a murder.

Catherine also shows the desperation of the times; people were losing loved ones left and right due to the Spanish Flu and World War I, hence the need to comfort themselves by calling upon the spirits of their beloved. Post-tramatic stress and its treatment (or lack thereof) by the medical community is explored through Joseph's character, who is likable but severely damaged.

I liked this novel very much for its non-stock characters and the fact that I had no idea where they would take me next. The writing is very good and brings the details to life: you really get a sense of the characters and their living conditions. Something else about the tale Catherine weaves -- its richer and lifelike, not just words on the page. I could really see the scenes and the characters moving through them. The seances are especially well-done; Catherine did alot of research into how such seances were performed and it shows.

The ending is realistic; happy for some characters, bringing relief to others, not quite the way one character wanted things to turn out, but their resilience makes them immune to its lasting effects. Catherine is planning on doing a Young Adult novel featuring the same setting, though different characters, and although I don't read many YA novels, I'm very much looking forward to the redo.

In Voices Airy, novelist Cahterine Karp takes her readers back to the troubled year of 1918 when America and the world were afflicted by two of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse -- War and Pestilence. The devastating toll of World War I and a global outbreak Spanish influenza leave countless individuals stricken with grief from the loss of loved ones. A San Diego woman offers solace by calling up the spirits of the departed in a darkened seance room. Seen through the eyes of her new husband and younger sister, the question arises... is she a fraud, or delusional? Or is she truly a conduit to the world beyond? A captivating and thought-provoking story of the transitions between life and death.

Set in 1918, Voices Airy is a tale filled with the supernatural. After the death of her father, Lucy Crumb travels to San Diego to live with her older sister, Rosaline. On the journey, she meets Joseph Milne, a veteran of WWI with a haunting past. Rosaline is a psychic medium who contacts departed spirits to ease the burden of loved ones left behind. But Lucy begins to suspect that Rosaline might have ulterior motives for calling up the dead. Is Rosaline a fraud, or does she truly possess the gift for communicating with those from beyond the grave?

VOICES AIRY is a unique coming-of-age story with themes ranging from love and jealousy to forgivness. Refreshingly reminiscent of the old-style gothics, this fast-paced story is a magnificent blend of historical drama and ghost story that will keep the reader guessing until the very end. Highly recommended.