Heart Of Jet

There are occasions when the brave amongst us try on different hats. Sheila Shedd is a brave freelance editor with a strong reputation, this is partly why I chose to read and review her debut novel Heart of Jet, I say partly because many years ago I reached a conclusion that editors must in some way be able to create better novels and short stories than the average writer on account of their particular skills. Since reaching that conclusion I have read several works written by editors which were for one reason or another totally disappointing. I’m happy to say that is not the case here, as although there is one issue I would consider a big negative the rest of Heart of Jet makes for an impressive debut.
Another reason I chose to read it is that it is an unusual mishmash, to my way of thinking at least, of Gothic supernatural/romance/historical adventure, all three genres sitting outside of my usual reading material and the Gothic supernatural aspect in particular is of interest to me. There have been quite a few supernatural stories doing the rounds which I found to be somewhat lacking, relying more on a horror component than more subtle machinations of supernatural occurrences. There is a very slight underplayed horror component at work here too, but one which is for the most part necessary as without it the basic story would have a much fluffier nature.
What I haven’t discussed yet is the elephant in the room, which is the big negative, so here goes:
The story concerns two young ladies at the turn of the last century, American socialites Caroline and Charlotte Grant, sisters whom upon receiving the last request of their Grandmother, travel from America to their ancestral home in Scotland, so far so good. The first port of call in England doesn’t exactly go according to plan, largely down to their naiveté of being strangers in a strange land. The basic idea is a good one, and so well-constructed as to be plausible, however this is where my first criticism begins, as the language used by the English people with whom the young ladies come into contact reminded me somewhat of Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. This criticism continues when the ladies reach Scotland as Sheila Shedd has given every Scots character an accent as thick as Scots Porridge Oats and equally salty, which, as with salty porridge, is an acquired taste. Whilst I can absolutely appreciate the desire for linguistic authenticity I found this to be more of a parody of the vernacular to the point of ridicule. I will point out for the sake of clarity that I have some Scots ancestry as my Mother was a descendant of the Clan Stewart, so although I’m English I had when younger been in the company of enough Scots to know that not all of them sound like Robert Burns addressing a haggis. It’s all somewhat jarring, but I persevered and was glad that I did.
Now, we go onward to the many positives of the story.
The underlying story is beautifully crafted, with very distinct personalities driving story forward along with the occasional idiosyncratic interjections of an omniscient narrator whose nature is somewhat inviting and gossipy. It’s a bold move which could quite easily have backfired but instead lends itself beautifully to the quirkiness of the tale. Caroline is the elder sister, slightly stern but still open to what she considers an adventure and an assertion of her independence. Charlotte is more of a free spirit and the two complement one-another perfectly as both believable and endearing characters.
As with just about everything in fiction, especially that with a strong historical vibe, there are stereotypes, but the two main characters have a much more progressive outlook than many of their contemporaries, which fits well with the new century setting. Upon their arrival in Scotland we do get the stereotypical matriarchal housekeeper, gruff groundsman and strapping young sons, all of whom have key parts to play. There’s a lot of lead-up with the introduction of characters and settings which at first I thought to be non-essential filler, but the bigger picture at the end of the novel gives a much wider sense of importance to all of the previous events, as even the small details such as Caroline’s behaviour in a public house only serve to strengthen the credibility of the supernatural aspects.
Speaking of which, once the young ladies have spent (very little) time in their ancestral home, Caroline gets a visit from a rather unpleasant looking spectral form who guides her to find the eponymous Heart of Jet, which from its discovery onward has a marked effect on Caroline who takes it upon herself to put right a dreadful injustice from generations before.
At the risk of sounding somewhat sexist I believe I am not the intended audience for this book, as with the lengthy costuming descriptions and bodice ripping passion displayed herein I can only assume this would appeal wholeheartedly to ladies who like their romance intimate, dark and brooding. This is not to say that it got in the way of what was overall a chilling supernatural drama, if anything it made the whole experience richer as it gave much clearer understanding of the personalities involved.
The mishmash of Gothic supernatural, rather descriptive romance and adventure is a strange enough combination. Adding an almost comic undertone via author intrusion may seem to be over egging the pudding but it isn’t the case, as in all honesty I enjoyed Heart of Jet and I’m assuming that although the ending wasn’t as I expected, there could someday be a sequel as this is Sheila’s debut and with the start as good as this it would be a shame were she to be a one hit wonder. She is clearly a woman in love with language and knows how to use it to great effect.