Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
Have Yourself a Very Bloody Christmas
Have you read or seen American Psycho? If so, imagine if ’80s American yuppie Patrick Bateman was a young, lower class British woman living in prim and proper Victorian England. That is essentially the setup for Victorian Psycho, a mercilessly violent and sharply satirical novel by Virginia Feito.
Winifred Notty, the narrator and protagonist, is hired by Mr. and Mrs. Pounds, the wealthy owners of the stately mansion Ensor House, as a governess for their young son and daughter. What’s a governess, you ask? I didn’t know, either. It’s like a cross between a nanny and a tutor. The Pounds are hoping for a faithful servant. What they get instead is carnage that culminates on a very red Christmas morning.
Unbeknownst to her new employers, Winifred is a total psychopath with an extensive history of violent behavior. She has no conscience whatsoever. Winifred is capable of killing whomever and whatever she pleases, including children and animals.
She is frustrated by her new pupils -dour teenage Drusilla and her pompous younger brother Andrew. According to Winifred, both siblings are stupid, insolent, snobby, and disrespectful. They don’t even understand her lessons about the French revolution!
The novel’s satirical and irreverent tone keeps the content from being as disturbing as it could have been, but people who are sensitive to reading about kid and animal deaths should still consider skipping this one.
Feito, as Notty, tells the story in a colorfully descriptive but dispassionate way. In typical psychopath fashion, Winifred is casual about the homicidal acts she commits. For her, murder is as routine as brushing her teeth.
As I mentioned, Victorian Psycho climaxes on Christmas. There are two major twists. The first reveals something from Winifred’s past that explains her hatred for the Pounds family. To me, this is unnecessary. People like Winifred don’t need an ulterior motive. They hurt people because it gives them pleasure.
I imagine Feito, or her editor, worried that Victorian Psycho would be criticized for not including a strong enough motivation for its protagonist. An explanation for why Winifred has specifically targeted this family is supplied toward the end. I could have done without it.
The second and more surprising twist is that Winifred isn’t the only psycho in Endsor House. She has underestimated one of her prey, and the consequences could be catastrophic. Of course, Winifred isn’t the type to become scared or anxious when faced with setbacks. Human life – even her own – means nothing to her.
Readers who enjoyed Guillotine by Delilah Dawson, which I reviewed earlier this year, should check this out. Both books feature unhinged populist rage and violent revenge fantasies. Hide by Kiersten White, which I also reviewed, has many of these elements as well.
Victorian Psycho is being adapted into a feature film starring Maika Monroe as Notty. I’m a huge fan of hers, but I’m surprised that an American actress was chosen for this role. Monroe’s experience playing the evil nanny in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle will help.
Rating
Victorian Psycho is a fast paced and gleefully demented tale that’s a solid choice for anyone looking for the complete opposite of a conventional Christmas story.
Rating from 1 (avoid at all costs) to 10 (masterpiece): 8
