Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
Tor Nightfire (March 2024)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
In 2022, I reviewed Jennifer Thorne’s debut novel, Lute, a folk horror story compared to Ari Aster’s Midsommar, where the town’s adults were impressively desensitized to occult traditions. (Are you thinking of the murderous ritual for the elderly? I can still see Florence Pugh’s face.) The execution of this element lends itself well to an unnerving mystery and a sense of outrage in Lute that made readers devour the pages and does so, once again, in Thorne’s latest release, Diavola.
Despite its modern flare, Thorne adeptly tackles the limitations of technology in horror with great expertise. As a reader of contemporary horror, I appreciate this. It makes the situation more dire. Unlike the others, Anna ditches her phone and laptop for her family vacation to a stunning, remote villa in Monteperso. From the start, Anna receives warnings about the villa, not in the online listing, of course, but from the locals. An old woman even offers Anna a Cornicello pendant to ward off evil.
Diavola already had my attention.
Anna is no stranger to dread, though. She is the black sheep of the Pace family, evident on the first night at dinner. Benny, her twin brother, Benny’s new boyfriend, Christopher (not Chris), her sister, and her parents take turns teasing and challenging Anna in some of the most uncomfortable scenes I’ve ever digested. She can’t speak much to her sister’s husband because Nicole fears, without supporting evidence, that Anna will sleep with him. Nicole’s daughters seem to be Anna’s only allies on this “wholesome, togetherness” trip.
The satire on family dynamics in Diavola is daunting, reminiscent of gothic classics like Rebecca and The Haunting of Hill House. Villa Tacolla’s grounds, the surrounding rotted vegetation, and the poison Anna feels within the walls reflect the disconnect and manipulation of the Pace family and the lead ghost herself. Still, Thorne leaves plenty of room for quick wit and comedy, a tricky task with such heavy themes.
The Italian setting, the neighboring towns, and the villa make Diavola one of those remarkable books that allow you to learn about another culture, not just their way of life but also their fears, myths, and legends — the unholy side of history. Thorne’s vivid descriptions make it all the more frightening.
Diavola saves no feelings and spares no soul in this enraging, hilarious book. Anna is a woman who is fed up with her family’s BS, and now there are Italian ghosts. Will this girl ever get a break?
Find out. The woman with yellow hair, just off your shoulder or in your bathroom mirror, is waiting. And she demands to be fed.
