My first book choice to review is not a random one. It’s not even the best, by a long shot. However, The Monk has a special place in my heart because it is the novel my Masters of Literature thesis was about. If anyone ever stumbles upon “Some Freudian interpretations of Matthew Lewis’ The Monk“, caress its spine and give it a big kiss for me.

One of the most famous novels to come out of the Gothic era, The Monk is a tale of the pride and downfall of an arrogant Monk and the terrible consequences of his acts upon others.

The setting is medieval Spain, where castles and monasteries hide troves of terrible secrets; but the largest sin belongs to the Capuchin abbot, Ambrosio. His initiation into the sexual world eventually results in rape and murder to satisfy his depraved urges. As the climax builds, when the separate subplots come to mix with his, the reader cannot help but be struck by the novel’s power, complexity and even claustrophobic qualities. None of the characters will go unpunished; but who will have the happy ending? Will any of them?

Matthew Lewis was only nineteen at the time of its writing and reportedly completed it in ten weeks (and boy am I jealous). A four hundred-page tome of sex, witchcraft and incest, The Monk is guaranteed to add spice to your reading pleasure.