Book Review: “The Outcast and The Rite”
The Outcast and The Rite: Stories of Landscape and Fear, 1925-1938, the latest single-author collection from Handheld Press, makes for both an enchanting read, and something that may be a tough nut to crack for readers new to horror.
Edited and compiled by Dr. Melissa Edmundson, who specializes in women’s ghost stories, The Outcast and The Rite was written by Helen de Guerry Simpson, a celebrated Australian author whose work has—like so many other women authors’ work—been lost to time. During Simpson’s life, her work was highly acclaimed and celebrated, which is both appropriate and amusing considering she initially got published based on a bet. As an individual, Simpson was the type of person who, when I was speaking to my partner about this book and reading Edmundson’s introduction, inspired me to say, “Too bad my best friend died 82 years ago.” Simpson had an avid interest in the occult and witchcraft, and was known to collect hard-to-find historic texts in both spheres. Simpson was also known to help friends with similar concerns, taking their worries seriously and consulting her library to find a solution. And if she weren’t cool enough for those reasons, she also helped fight against fascists.
The timing of Simpson’s writing is also of interest in the history of horror: All of the stories in The Outcast and the Rite were written and published between World War I and World War II. The stories in this collection, mirroring a dedication to landscape that we find in M.R. James’s fiction, also provide a snapshot into this often overlooked period in history. In “Disturbing Experience of an Elderly Lady,” for example, a widow has the opportunity to spend her husband’s wealth on a very old home—one that has largely stayed in the same two families. What makes this story stand out, however, is the entrance of a working-class woman into the former abode of aristocracy. Once she’s bought the house, the home itself seems to resist her. With the power of stories like these—with some themes a prelude to Shirley Jackson’s own work—it’s sad to note that Simpson passed away in 1940 from cancer.
The first thing that stands out about Simpson’s writing is the level of detail she invests in the environment and landscape. This is essential because many of these protagonists’ fears arise from the interactions with a strange house, or a particular stretch of landscape that threatens to enchant them utterly. In the first story, “Grey Sand and White Sand,” one passage in particular both exemplifies Simpson’s dedication to craft and, for me, is a celebration of the month of October:
“Mist lay thick and white above the morning fields, an October mist that passively awaited the sun. October, he thought, was the best of the months, with its calm days and savage nights that assailed the trees and stripped them; October night winds were ravishers. But when they had done their work, what a clean and marvelous world remained! Trees like lace, white sheets of water in the hollows of the fields, and all the westerly windows flaming together at five o'clock in the evening. A naked month. A month in which things happened.”
In the aforementioned story, the protagonist becomes completely enthralled with the local landscape, painting it endlessly in hopes of capturing something of its real essence. To him, the changes in the weather are nothing more than masks—only meant to distract him. He almost completely abdicates his responsibilities, and his wife even thinks this fascination is consuming him. But he will not stop his pursuit of the real—no matter the personal cost. The nebulous ending of “Grey Sand and White Sand” is emblematic of the endings Simpson writes throughout this collection. Leaving things up to the reader’s interpretation, especially in supernatural stories, can be an asset, but for some readers this may prove to be a frustrating experience.
If you’re looking for a collection of clearly defined cause and effect, with plot progressions that tidily go from A to B, The Outcast and The Rite is not something you’ll enjoy. For those interested in the history of horror literature, however—and especially those who are fond of M.R. James’s authorial dedication to landscape—you’ll enjoy Simpson’s work. Simpson beautifully captures the psychology of her protagonists across all of the stories in this collection.
In “The Rite,” for example, the protagonist is a young woman who has just had a falling out with her mother, and paired with the overwhelming heat of a sunny day, she soon seeks rest on the local forbidden hill. Rumored to be as dark as midnight at noon thanks to the thick foliage, this getaway proves to be an eco-horror experience with a dash of folk horror. In “Young Magic,” a similar young woman struggles to develop her own individuality until she befriends a resident house spirit. When she returns to the same home as a teenager, things are vastly different.
The Outcast and The Rite, like Handheld Press’s other books, is an enchanting read and shines light on the work of an author who deserves to be celebrated. If you’re looking to learn more about the contributions of women to supernatural fiction, learn more about the history of horror, or looking to expand your literary horizons and go for a challenge, The Outcast and The Rite may be your cup of tea.
Article written by Laura Kemmerer
Laura tuned into horror with an interest in what these movies and books can tell us about ourselves and what societies fear. She is most interested in horror focused around the supernatural, folklore, the occult, Gothic themes, haunted media, landscape as a character, and hauntology (focusing on lost or broken futures).
