Lullaby by Cécile Guillot

Hazel loves writing horror stories, and wants to become a writer. She falls for her lovely neighbor Blanche, but when her parents discover her various inclinations, they are outraged and decide to commit her to Montrose Asylum.

There she meets the fiery Jo and the fragile Lulla. The three of them follow a mysterious lullaby which calls out in the dark, leading them to an abandoned garden…and a nightmare they may not escape from.

Synopsis

Quick Take

Lullaby by Cécile Guillot is an intoxicating blend of historical fiction, female rage, and gothic elements that invites the reader in with a smile before completely eviscerating them.

Tell Me More

🥀”I’m not some delicate poppy that you can pluck from the ground, quick to wilt away…A flower you can crush in your fist. I am the saffron that wraps its roots around your neck.”🥀

Lullaby is a lush, gothic-fairytale novella (at only 67 pages) that is laced with sapphic elements and feminine rage. It is at once haunting and heartbreaking.

The story follows a young woman named Hazel who is sent to an asylum after her parents discover her romance with a young woman named Blanche. At the asylum, she befriends two other women but is haunted by a lullaby that seems to be luring her in.

I found the story reminiscent of The Bell Jar and The Secret Garden in various ways but with more of a horror edge. While it focuses on the mistreatment women suffered while in asylums in the Victorian age, it also highlights mental illness and repressed trauma. I mourned for Hazel, especially in the end, but found her story to be all too real. Without giving too much away, repressed trauma and bodily violation are a primary theme in the novel. This should be taken into consideration before going in, as it can be a trigger for some readers.

I only wish that this had been a full-fledged novel because I would have loved to spend more time with Hazel and the other women, and I would have loved to have a wider picture of the asylum, the doctors, and the treatments they inflicted on patients. Guillot has a great way of capturing female relationships and inclinations, especially in a society that is not often forgiving, and I loved how she did not sugarcoat the history she sought to present. It was also helpful that she included suggested further reading in the back of the book, with some added information on the treatments and procedures that were portrayed in the novella.

If you are a fan of gothic historical horror, you are going to love Lullaby. It can be read in one sitting, and it imprints itself on your mind. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

🥀”I’m not a pretty bouquet of flowers that one places on the mantelpiece then leaves to wilt. I’m a poisonous flower. A dangerous one. Try to eat her and she will kill you. I won’t let myself be governed by any man, least of all my husband. I need to get out and take back the reins.”🥀