Melmoth is a 2018 novel by Sarah Perry.
- Helen
- Thea
- Adaya Melmoth
- Karel
Melmoth contains examples of:
- Admiring the Abomination: Many accounts of encounters with Melmoth, a cursed woman doomed to wander the earth endlessly, her very presence invoking despair and paranoia, describe her victim as being equally repulsed and entranced by her appearance.
- Character Development: Karel Pražan changes from a man in love with his comforts, and, unable to handle how his wife's stroke has crippled her, runs away to England - where he falls in with a group of immigration activists, eventually joining with them to stage protests and speak for people who have zero impact on his life.
- Extremely Dusty Home: Everything in Helen's apartment after her landlady's death is covered in dust, with whatever food is left molding over. It's noted to have been a week.
- Gothic Horror: The book is written in an expansive, excessively detailed style. The description of Melmoth's horror is less about her physical appearance, than in the sensations and impressions she creates, and the horrifying half-madness, half-longing she drives into her victims.
- The Reveal: Kindly character Adaya is revealed to have always been Melmoth in disguise.
