The Thirteenth Tale

A friend lent me this novel written by Diane Setterfield, translated and published by Gramedia on November 2008. I felt a bit reluctant to read it at first, but soon after I started read it, I just couldn't stop it. The story is just too engaging.

A story about a famous yet mysterious novelist, Vida Winter, who just writes down a lot of novels for the past 60 years and all become bestsellers, but no body knows about her own life.

Along with her old age and terrible sickness, she finally decides to reveal her family secret. She chooses Margaret Lea, an amateur biographer to write down her life story.

Margaret finally stays at Vida's house and listens to her story everyday. Vida is not an easy going person. She's really rigid and introvert, therefore Margaret faces certain difficulties in fulfilling her assigned job as a biographer. It turns out to be a long, sad and unpredictable stories. The disclosure of one story leads to other mysterious family secret. Never thought that Vida's life is so complicated. She's surrounded by an eccentric family.

I enjoy the revelation of each Vida's personal life story. Make me curious and can't wait to find out the ending. Beside the story, I also fall in love with the character of Margaret, an introvert book freak, who owns a bookstore with her father. Her effort in completing Vida's biography accidentally reveals her own personal secret that haunts her for many years.

An interesting book.