The Treachery of Time by Anna Gilbert is a 1995 publication.

It had always been Esther and Daniel- the two had a love that was just meant to be… until it wasn’t…

A confounding mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young girl will haunt Esther most of her life- she may have witnessed something that could help solve the mystery- but sometime later, when a young girl is found abandoned- filthy and unable to tell anyone who she was or where she came from- Esther's life takes a turn she never could have imagined. Who is the girl and why does she seem to have it in for Esther- making sure any contentment she may have carved out for herself is ruined?

I have a little project I've been working on- which is to try and draw attention to older books that have been digitized so they can be preserved. The other reason I would like to see them digitized, is that I have lots of old paperbacks I’d like to read- but have trouble seeing the small print. So, in my quest to see if I could find a specific book I had on my shelf. I discovered a nice little cache of books by Anna Gilbert- some of which are in the Kindle Unlimited program- so I decided to give this one try.

Gilbert is known for writing Gothics- but this one doesn’t fit into that category. It is also labeled a mystery- and that is true- but it’s most a dramatic historical fiction novel. The writing is typical for books written in this era- the pacing is very slow, especially if one is expecting more of a mystery. I did find myself feeling a bit impatient at times- especially now that my attention span is much shorter- but I was interested in how the various love interests would resolve themselves- and if the obvious connections the reader was meant to presume were accurate or not.

Eventually, des[ote a being left with a touch of unease, we are mostly given a conclusion that is so bittersweet there’s a residual ache for what might have been.

The story is a bit melancholy, I must say. None of the main characters achieved the level of fulfillment in their lives they’d envisioned for themselves. Still, as with real life, they did manage to find purpose, and carve out a degree of peace and contentment despite the cruel hand they had been dealt.

The ‘chilling’ mystery only produced a low-level of suspense- but there is a lingering concern that remains and I did wonder if maybe the author had considered a follow-up novel that dealt with that possibility- but that does not appear to have materialized.. My main qubble is that this vague threat had been wrapped up more firmly.

Other than that, the atmosphere and characterizations were well done and lingered with me for a while. This style of writing is probably not well suited for some modern readers as the conclusion isn’t necessarily a dreamy happily ever after- and there’s absolutely no comic relief – not even a little reprieve from the gloominess. But one must keep in mind that this author was known for her Gothic stories and while this one didn’t have traditional Gothic elements it did mimic the pacing and heaviness of a Gothic novel.

I did enjoy the nostalgic feeling of reading an older book, written in style I remember reading voraciously back in the day. It also helped that while the book deals with adult themes- it is handled without being too explicit.

This is strictlyhistorical fiction- not historical romance- with a bit of mystery and suspense, The novel still explores various types of love- love that doesn’t exactly meet the usual passion or romantic expectations but thrives regardless. So for me, this turned out to be a satisfying read and I’m thankful once again to see some of these older titles digitized and available for folks like me or for those with an open mind who might be interested in what people were reading back in the mid- 1990s.

4 stars ( )