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Helen’s Story by Roseanne Rabinowitz
Jan. 7th, 2014 11:15 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
Contrary to rumours of her death, Helen Vaughn is alive and well and living in Shoreditch. Having learned a few things about painting from an old boyfriend, she’s set to take the art world by storm with a series of erotically-charged landscapes that will show everyone what really lurks beyond the vanishing point. Some readers might have already met Helen in Arthur Machen’s classic novella, THE GREAT GOD PAN. Now she gets to tell her side of the story.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Rabinowitz does a good job of weaving in Helen’s account of her childhood with Dr Raymond and why the cold sterility of that environment would drive her to her companion with the development of her current work and I enjoyed the slow burn reveal of why she’s painting her landscapes. Her relationship with Rachel is also sensitively developed, although I would have liked to have had a bit more development of its breakdown. Helen’s attitude to sex is refreshing and I particularly loved the fact that bisexuality is no big deal for her (although this is slightly pushed by the incest revelations).
Contrary to rumours of her death, Helen Vaughn is alive and well and living in Shoreditch. Having learned a few things about painting from an old boyfriend, she’s set to take the art world by storm with a series of erotically-charged landscapes that will show everyone what really lurks beyond the vanishing point. Some readers might have already met Helen in Arthur Machen’s classic novella, THE GREAT GOD PAN. Now she gets to tell her side of the story.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Rabinowitz does a good job of weaving in Helen’s account of her childhood with Dr Raymond and why the cold sterility of that environment would drive her to her companion with the development of her current work and I enjoyed the slow burn reveal of why she’s painting her landscapes. Her relationship with Rachel is also sensitively developed, although I would have liked to have had a bit more development of its breakdown. Helen’s attitude to sex is refreshing and I particularly loved the fact that bisexuality is no big deal for her (although this is slightly pushed by the incest revelations).
