History Literature / SherlockInLove

** [[spoiler: Also, Irene Adler.]]

* TheCameo: Mycroft.
* CanonForeigner: Victor (Violet) Sigerson.

* NotSoStoic: Holmes.
** [[spoiler: And Violet at the end.]]
* OnlySaneMan: Poor, poor Watson...
** Also "Victor", in Ludwig II's court.

* ParentalAbandonment: Violet by both her (unmarried) parents.

''Sherlock in Love: A Novel'' is a Sherlockian pastiche by Sena Jeter Naslund, which deals with such aspects of SherlockHolmes's life as his Stradivarius, his love life, and his eventual fate. It's an atmospheric, gripping tale, and while some Sherlockians reject it outright, others regard it as SoBadItsGood.

The year is 1922. Franchise/SherlockHolmes has been dead for two years, and an enfeebled [[TheWatson Dr. Watson]] is living his twilight years with his old landlady and her nurse. Watson misses his old friend so much that he decides to write a biography for Holmes and puts a notice in the paper. The responses that he gets drives him to dig an old case back up, that of the unhappy Victor Sigerson.

** Plus, the title of the novella itself - there is a reason why it is '''''Sherlock''''' ''in Love'', and not ''SherlockHolmes'' or ''Holmes''.

* RedOniBlueOni: Surprisingly, Sherlock's red to Violet's blue (SherlockHolmes is typically blue to Watson's red).

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Averted, actually, for a SherlockHolmes pastiche, never mind the title. There are several participating female characters.

* {{Foil}}: Violet to Sherlock - she's essentially [[InTheBlood the feminine version]] of the Great Detective.

The year is 1922. SherlockHolmes has been dead for two years, and an enfeebled [[TheWatson Dr. Watson]] is living his twilight years with his old landlady and her nurse. Watson misses his old friend so much that he decides to write a biography for Holmes and puts a notice in the paper. The responses that he gets drives him to dig an old case back up, that of the unhappy Victor Sigerson.

From there, the narrative goes back and forth between 1922 and 1886, taking quite a bit of ArtisticLicense with the original canon. Holmes takes violin lessons from Victor Sigerson and is eventually hired to uncover Sigerson's origins. While Watson is inexplicably blind to the fact, Holmes discovers that Victor is actually ''Violet'', and Holmes's heart is awakened to the possibility of romantic love. Alas, the Great Detective is never said by Sir ArthurConanDoyle to have been married or even to have had a lover, and in this regard, Naslund stays true to the canon. The TwistEnding is astonishing and even [[{{Squick}} squicky]] for some, and makes the entire story either dreadfully tragic or tragically out-of-character.

* {{Crossdresser}}: Violet poses as "Victor" in order to perform in the all-male Munich Opera Orchestra.

* ShoutOut: To ''AChristmasCarol'' - "Holmes was dead: to begin with"...

** The first is fairly obvious and takes place in the first half of the story - [[AWorldwidePunomenon namely,]] that "Victor" is actually ''Violet''.

** The first is fairly obvious and takes place in the first half of the story - [[IncrediblyLamePun namely,]] that "Victor" is actually ''Violet''.

* DysfuntionalFamily: Sherlock's, quite obviously.

* TheClothesMakeTheMan: More than once, a debilitated Watson mistakes a person for his deceased friend simply because they dress like him - [[MemeticMutation deerstalker and Inverness sometimes included.]]

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Surprisingly averted for a SherlockHolmes pastiche, despite the title. There are four participating female characters.

* {{Foil}}: Violet to Sherlock - she's essentially the feminine version of the Great Detective.

From there, the narrative goes back and forth between 1922 and 1886, taking quite a bit of ArtisticLicense with the original canon. Holmes takes violin lessons from Victor Sigerson and is eventually hired to uncover Sigerson's origins. While Watson is inexplicably blind to the fact, Holmes discovers that Victor is actually ''Violet'', and Holmes's heart is awakened to the possibility of romantic love. Alas, the Great Detective is never said by Sir ArthurConanDoyle to have been married or even to have had a lover, and in this regard, Naslund stays true to the canon. The twist at the end is astonishing and even [[{{Squick}} squicky]] for some, and makes the entire story either dreadfully tragic or tragically out-of-character.

* Determinator: Holmes - so much so that it's heartbreaking.

* ItsPersonal: When Holmes goes after Ludwig II because of Violet.

* [[spoiler: DisneyDeath: Violet.]]

* [[spoiler: SurpriseIncest: Holmes and Violet did not realize their half-sibling relationship until they were already in-love. Violet then tries to end the relationship entirely.]]

''Sherlock in Love: A Novel'' is a Sherlockian pastiche by Sena Jeter Naslund, which deals with such aspects of SherlockHolmes's life as his Stradivarius, his love life, and his eventual fate. It's an atmospheric, gripping tale, and some Sherlockians regard it as SoBadItsGood.