Wild Talent: A Novel of the Supernatural.

Deborah Dowson is a Canaadian children’s librarian in North Wales,
Pennsylvania.

Scottish farm worker Jeannie Guthrie inadvertently wounds a man who was threatening to assault her and she believes that she will be hung for murder or drowned as a witch if she doesn’t flee. Upon arriving in London, she is befriended by Alexandra David, an adventurous women who travels extensively and studies mystical religion. Through David, Jean is introduced to Madame Blavatsky, and becomes attached to her household. She is introduced to many scholars and poets and develops a friendship with a young zoologist. She also discovers she has a “wild talent,” the ability to move objects with her mind, which she explores with Blavatsky. Jean eventually decides to join Alexandra in Paris where their adventures culminate in an out-of-body journey to a fantastic imaginary world.

The author uses Alexandra David’s actual journals as the historical frame for this work of fiction, yet the story is narrated through the journal entries of Jeannie, a simple country girl who, despite her “wild talent,” has little aspiration for adventure, mystical or otherwise. Although supernatural events occur within the story, the journal style and subject matter remain rooted in historical realism, as it depicts daily happenings at Madame Blavatsky’s and later in Paris in the late 19th century. It is a fascinating time period filled with interesting characters, but Jeannie’s character is rather weak as a narrator and, unfortunately, this story is not likely to find a wide audience.

Recommended with reservations.