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1786: Jerusalem College, Cambridge – a ghost of a woman is spotted in the grounds..
The Anatomy of Ghosts
What you need to know before your trail
The ghost of murdered Sylvia Whichcote is sighted prowling the grounds of Jerusalem College, Cambridge, by commoner Frank Oldershaw. Worried her son is descending into madness, Frank’s anxious mother employs rationalist John Holdsworth to investigate the sighting, throwing the uneasy status quo at the college into chaos.
For the sinister Holy Ghost Club governs the privileged life at Jerusalem. Pursued by the ghost of his dead wife, Maria, and Elinor, the very-much-alive Master’s wife, Holdsworth must unravel the circumstances surrounding Sylvia’s death or succumb to the hauntings himself . .
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
Cambridge University 1786, Jerusalem College
The author points out in his note at the back of the novel that Jerusalem College is in fact fictional (just as well when you read the book!) but that the layout and style of it was heavily influenced by the very real Emmanuel College. Aspects of its early history have been used for Jerusalem although that is where the similarity ends.
And just as well as the characters in this novel are all out for themselves, and their world at the college is one of hedonism and a world where boys will be boys, and white, privileged males have a very busy lifestyle where study hovers in the background. If you have money it seems, this gives you the right to bully and control those not of your level – financially at least.
In this world there is the rather dubious existence of The Holy Ghost Club. A group of men who meet to tell stories of ghosts, murder and more. What stays in The HGC however stays there and it’s hard to break down its walls.
Cambridge:
Cambridge was like a place in the grip of an occupying army. The street were mean and crowded, the houses small and ugly, huddled in among themselves as though for protection. The citizens scurried about with surly faces as thought they had little right to be there – the true masters of the place were the gowned figures who lived behind the gates and walls of the colleges.”
The Anatomy of Ghosts
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
I really enjoyed this one! From the first page I felt immersed in the time and setting and then as the pages turned, the intrigue and fear about going off to Cambridge in search of a spirit….
I should say first of all that I was expecting more of a ghost/supernatural story which this wasn’t and that pleased me. It was more of a mystery and a who dunnit in the classic sense and so some people might find the ghost aspect lacking.
The first few chapters were a bit grim though! Death and human waste, suicide and more of the brown stuff…I felt a bit queasy if I’m honest. But I put on a face mask and carried on. And I’m pleased that I did.
Starting off in London with the story of a bookbinder, John Holdsworth was a fascinating character. He writes a book called The Anatomy of Ghosts ( basically saying that they don’t exist) and that leads him to becoming involved in an investigation. He is tasked with searching for a ghost (ie denouncing the existence of) in Cambridge for a rich lady who is worried about her son. Her son, a student at the esteemed university has lost his wits having seen an apparition.. John is tasked with proving that no such ghost exists
Well, that’s not going to be as straight forward as you might think and the author recreates the feel of an old gothic thriller and book which might have been the kind to be in serialisation back in the day.
And therein lies the haunting nature of the Cambridge college, its secretive
Holy Ghost Club and the debauchery and corruption this world reveals. The setting (luckily fictional) is gothic, dark, creepy, claustrophobic and more and you’ll be holding on your face mask with one hand, and holding a candle in the other whilst propping up your book on a lectern. It reveals a lot about a hidden world of secrets societies and ghostly beliefs and it’s a fascinating read.
There’s a page at the start of the book which reads like a scroll of paper – announcing the ghostly investigation to follow which I thought was brilliant. Really helped set the scene and the rest flowed from there. I felt as if I’d unearthed a book lost in a dusty library somewhere, written in a time long gone and to think that a modern author has done all of this in one book made me shiver with excitement.
Brrrrr. I can see why he created a fictional college though! Booktrailers will still find plenty to explore for real. London and Cambridge are evoked with style and gothic splendour.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The Anatomy of Ghosts
Destination : Cambridge, London Author/Guide: Andrew Taylor Departure Time: 1786
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