Book Review: Gallant by V.E. Schwab

‘Gallant’ by V.E. Schwab was released in 2022 and is a fascinating, gothic novel that leaves you reeling, mulling over those same repeated phrases, images, and the sheer scope of meanings they may have. I read it in a day, and couldn’t put it down!

The book follows Olivia, a young woman who grew up orphaned in an institute for young girls, Merilance, the only shred of knowledge about her family is a cryptic diary kept by her mother, which she was left with upon being abandoned at Merilance. When her carers receive a letter from a mysterious estate, Gallant, summoning Olivia to her home, to live amongst family, she is delighted to leave a place that truly was devoid of colour and meaning, despite her mother’s warnings about it.

The story explores many complex themes and emotions in a manner that makes your soul ache. Olivia is mute and communicates via sign language, however, most people don’t listen to her as she walks, and throw ableist, dismissive comments her way, simply expecting her to follow instructions, as if her inability to speak reduces her value as a person. And, despite the drastic change in scenery, this sentiment is echoed when she is summoned to Gallant, to live with her family. Her cousin, Matthew refuses to learn how to sign, and the two people that tend the house, Edgar and Hannah, struggle to keep up with Olivia when she’s signing.

This theme of communication is really interesting, not only because it demonstrates a real problem encountered by many mute, deaf, or hard-of-hearing people, where sign language is considered a novelty and inessential to learn in a classroom, but also because when Matthew and Olivia do begin to build the foundations of a relationship, she realises that despite the ache to communicate, and know you’re understood, they are thwarted, not only by Michael’s inability to sign, but also his illiteracy. He can’t read the notes she writes to him. A jarring contrast between what Olivia knew would let her be heard, her matrons back in Merilance insisting she keep her chalkboard on hand, but not caring to ask for her thoughts, versus someone who does want to understand and speak to her, and can’t.

The barriers in their communication makes their understanding through the latter end of the book more painful, as Olivia learns the concealed secrets of her heritage and ancestry, but also the house she will now call home, she grows to understand her cousin, and can’t tell him, she simply hopes that he’ll understand.

The theme of communication isn’t the only one that had me reeling. The second was the idea of mortality. Death awaits, sealed behind a gate, and is unable to reach Olivia or Matthew physically unless the boundary between the Gallant Olivia comes to know and the place that isn’t quite Gallant is broken. But, death still invades Matthew’s and later Olivia’s dreams. It was a great metaphor to have there be a physical manifestation of death itself, as well as the looming fears about dying, and the afterlife existing from the very first page. Having Olivia acknowledge ghouls as part of the world, and the reader not necessarily understanding why this is the case, is brilliant. The reader learns the truth behind the ghouls as Olivia does, instead of having to wait for her to understand with a sense of dramatic irony hanging over readers.

I really enjoyed ‘Gallant’ and look forward to getting the opportunity to read more of Schwab’s work in the future.