On this episode of Writers at Work, I speak with Virginia Feito, author of VICTORIAN PSYCHO, a title that is ideal yet only hints at what lies between the book covers. VICTORIAN PSYCHO is Virginia's second novel. Her 2021 debut, MRS. MARCH, straddled the line between psychological thriller and social satire, said Vogue magazine, adding that it's as literary as it is pulpy.
It was snapped up by Hollywood and is under development, with Elisabeth Moss attached as star and producer. I'll have to ask Virginia about its progress to screen. I'll also have to ask her about how she wrote a novel so keenly praised for its precision in depicting the foibles of New York's upwardly mobile despite her having never lived in New York. She was raised in Madrid and Paris and studied in London. She writes in English.
I admit to a particular fascination with her latest, VICTORIAN PSYCHO. On the surface, it's a gruesome tale of a psychopathic governess, Winifred Notty, immune to fear, dismissive of pain, who carries within her a darkness. Capital D, Darkness. Much explicit violence ensues. If this is not your cup of tea, let me say that VICTORIAN PSYCHO contains some of the most perfectly constructed sentences I've ever read, each word carefully chosen to elicit a squeamish reaction. Yet they flow together with ease, the writing as much as the psychological terror oozed its way under my skin.
I can't remember the last time I came across a novel that compelled me to tap my wife on the shoulder and read a few sentences aloud and then do the same thing a few minutes later. And then again.
VICTORIAN PSYCHO has been optioned as well, and I'm told Margaret Qualley will play Miss Notty.

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