The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is the fictional biography of an elderly author, told from the biographer's perspective. Known for her best-selling stories, Vida Winter is on her deathbed and the ghosts of her past demand a true accounting of her life.
Chosen for her amateur biography of sibling writers, Margaret Lea immerses herself into the telling of Vida's life. However, Vida demands that the story be told in its proper order: the beginning in the beginning, the middle in the middle and the end at the end. Not satisfied, Margaret sets out to determine the ending before Vida arrives. Consequently, Vida is also racing against time to tell her story before she dies.
Margaret also has some secrets of her own that come to light in this book. As you read on, you learn more about her own twinness and the burden she carries in her heart and at home.
I was enthralled by this story from the first page. The language, so reminiscent of older-style books, captured my attention right away. The story of Vida was a mystery in itself, with the mystery already solved from her point of view. However, from Margaret's, it was new and fresh and needing a solution. There are a few twists and turns that were surprises, some less so.
One of the best parts of the book is that there is a finalization to the story at the end: all the loose ends are tied up, all major items are solved and even some of the little bits are accounted for. It actually ended, something that I haven't seen too much of lately (having read countless series).
Overall, I absolutely adored this book. I found myself thinking about the story when I wasn't reading it: trying to solve the mystery or rationalizing what was going on or even just attempting to wrap my head around some of the oddness of the characters and their personal habits. A second reading will definitely occur, just so I can see some of the clues as they're presented and recognize them for what they are.
