The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield (on CD)

Very gothic (in the 19th-century "Jane Eyre" kind of way) with a wink at modern lit-crit. Wonderful complex story about complicated and rather unlovely (and normal) people. Discusses the essence of who we are based on who the world thinks we are vs. our experiences. And a mystery inside a riddle inside a puzzle. There's also melodrama and some romance (but not very pleasant, so be warned).

WONDERFUL!! There are two narrators on this recording, which went a long way toward making it memorable. I think I may go back and read the hard copy (i.e. the paper) because I want to do some flipping back and forth. This is a problem when 'reading' with your ears--you can't go back and reread what happened in chapter three before continuing with the paragraph you're listening to in chapter twelve.

This book makes me want to read Trollope and the Brontes again, not to mention Thomas Hardy and Henry James.