BOOK REVIEW: Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield ★★★☆☆

WARNING. SORRY ABOUT THE SPOILERS.

This book was SO CLOSE to becoming a DNF. I don’t know what pulled me through but yes I finished this. This wasn’t a bad or even terrible book; I personally couldn’t get into it. It’s a book I usually don’t read because it heavily relies on imagery and symbolism and I’m more of a straight forward book type.

Now comparing this and The Thirteen Tale, it feels like two different authors wrote it. Setterfeild’s way of words is present, but she’s opted for a third person narrative rather than the first which I’m rather glad about. With such a depressing theme of death and regret, I couldn’t stand it in a monotonous first person.

So to really describe the plot without giving too many spoilers it’s essential about a man named William Bellman, who in his youth along with his buddies killed a rook, a small crime leading to consequences. In his twenties, he marries, has children and has a successful family business in textiles. All this time a couple of his friends and family have died and a mysterious figure in black always attends the funeral. When a disease hits his town everyone in his family, except his daughter Dora, dies. Unhinged with grief he goes to the cemetery where he meets the figure in black. To save his daughter’s life and in a drunken state, he agrees to a business deal named Bellman & Black.

At this point, we are more than half-way through the book. The business opportunity is the business of death, were Black plays a silent partner. Bellman & Black is the world’s first funeral emporium. And it has everything, from funeral coffins, mourning clothes to invitation cards. Whatever you need for a funeral, Bellman and Black have got it covered. This part of the book executes in excruciating detail how the business is done, how Bellman funds, builds, supplies, open, and maintains his business. Setterfield put a lot of thought in the business process which in a way reflects Bellman’s mind. He rather cooped up with work and wealth than see his daughter and pass a romantic alliance with a lonely woman. He becomes a workaholic with an unhealthy obsession to see Black and to impress him.

Again this isn’t a bad book but it was a book I wasn’t expecting. I felt that I was reading a book about how to do business in the textile industry, the mill and funeral arrangements. That’s not why I read this book. I wanted to know who this shady character Black is and was he supposedly killing Bellman’s friends off? Instead, it’s a book about a young workaholic Bellman becoming an old workaholic Bellman with many words describing the shades of black and rooks. However, if you want to read about the textile industry then this book is definitely for you.

Another thing to add, there wasn’t much character development, even though they didn’t appear that much in the story, I thought it was a bit lazy. Fair enough, the story is about Bellman, but still, with many supporting characters that moved the story, I think developing characters wouldn’t have hurt.

It’s a simple storyline of a man literally working himself to death. And after reading this book, it left me with many questions which this ambiguous tale will leave you scratching your head. Like was there a connection with Black and the rook Bellman killed in his youth? As Bellman grew up without a father, did he see Black as a father figure? And did Bellman finally get the message about thought and time and that his ambition cost him dearly with missed opportunities to reunite with friends?

I recommend this book to those who love reading stories between the lines with symbolism. I personally think Setterfield could have worked better on characterisation. Of course, her first novel, The Thirteen Tale was better.

Rating 3.5/5
Publishers: Orion Books
First Published: 2013
Second Publication Date: 2014
Genre: Gothic/Mystery/Historical Fiction