Justin Evans - The White Devil

[dem]

Justin Evans - The White Devil (Phoenix, 2012: originally Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2011)

Blurb:
AN ELITE PUBLIC SCHOOL
AN OUTSIDER
RUMOURS OF A HAUNTING

Fleeing expulsion and the death of a close friend, Andrew Taylor is sent to spend his final year at the prestigious public school Harrow. It is an eccentric place, a rambling ancient building filled with the sons of the rich and famous.

The other pupils notice Andrew's striking resemblance to Lord Byron, a former pupil of Harrow — and then the trouble begins. Andrew senses a malevolent presence, and when a classmate dies, the haunting becomes all too real. When another classmate falls ill, and Andrew discovers old letters hidden in a bricked-up basement, he must uncover a secret history — before it is too late.

"There's a curse on the school ....It's never rained like this in the history of Harrow .... I think they should close the school, personally .... And where's the communication? No one's saying what killed Theo. For all we know it was a murder and some psychopath up in the church graveyard is lying in wait to throttle more Harrovians. They hate us, you know, the Kevins."

September 8th. A new arrival at Harrow School. Andrew Taylor, seventeen, late of Frederick Williams Academy, Connecticut. He was "asked to leave" after a roommate fatally overdosed on China white. It was an open secret who'd scored it. So, a fresh start across the ocean, with father threatening disinheritance at the first hint of trouble.

Up the Hill to his new home, the Lot, a four-story white mansion housing 150 of the school's 500 boys. Matron, less than thrilled to have an American aboard, gives him the cursory tour. "There's a ghost in the Lot, you know." He can believe it; the basement is freezing! How can Matron not notice the chill?

Theo Rider, a cheerful, friendly lad, shows him the ropes. First stop the outfitters to the required regalia before introducing him to various acerbic sarcasm monsters with names like Cameron Findlay, St John Tooley (son of Sir Howard, one of England's 100 wealthiest men), Roddy Binns (the house oddball). Best get used to them. You're stuck here for a year.

Sept 9th. Begins well when he's approached by a flesh and blood girl of his own age, a fellow pupil, deuced attractive, at that! Turns out Persephone Vine is the lone female student, transferred here from Middx. Girls for her A-level year as a favour to father, Sir Alan. Persephone is casting for a play, The Fever of Messolonghi, a Harrow-friendly whitewash of the lives & loves of Byron, commissioned by the school board, and written by Piers Fawkes, the housemaster Andrew has yet to meet. Sixteen years ago, Fawkes, the "enfante terrible of English poetry", won the Whatmore prize for his collection of pornographic verse.

Barbaric accent notwithstanding, Persephone knows she's found the male lead. Andrew is a ringer for Byron. He agrees to audition before Fawkes.

Fawkes has come to hate all things Harrow, "a Jurassic Park of British Aristocracy," and, above all, he loathes Jute, the headmaster, who would dismiss him tomorrow were it not for the play. Deeply sensitive, he is mortified that the boys despise him as a drunken has-been. At least in Persephone he has an attractive drinking partner, though he'd prefer she'd quit referring to the project he's struggling to write a word for as "our play."

Andrew, who takes a shine to the fallen poet as a fellow misfit, gets the role and, feeling slightly better about his immediate future, heads home to the Lot. Crossing the churchyard, he chances upon a struggle; a gaunt man in long frock coat throttling a prone pupil on the path before vanishing in thin air. Is he suffering a drug flashback? But the corpse is no figment; he recognises the victim. Theo Rider.

TBC

[dem]

Marion Bondage: The Peachey tomb overlooking the ghost nun's walk, St. Mary's churchyard, 26 April 2022,

In the aftermath of Theo's death, word gets around of Andrew's drug dealing past, earning him instant "weirdo" status.

To counter conspiracy theorists, headmaster Jute invites the pathologist to address an assembly in the Speech Room. Mr. Sloane informs the school that Theodore died a respiratory disease, pulmonary sarcoidosis; no murder, no drugs, no townies with a grudge. Andrew is off the hook, at least in so far as the boys no longer believe him a "psycho killer." Otherwise, his torment has only begun. That same night, he is alerted by a cry from the basement baths, and walks in on three older boys stripping a screaming blonde youth on the wet floor. Andrew intervenes, chases away the assailants. The victim, albino white and beautiful as sin, thanks him. "You saved me. I will not forget this .... They wished to rape me. But I will let you." Darkness. When the light returns, the boy has vanished.

Rehearsals. To further antagonize the head, Fawkes has drafted in four of Persephone's contemporaries from Middlesex Girls' to fill female roles traditionally played by the boys. With Persephone - Augusta - giving him the cold shoulder, Andrew, decides two can play at that game, sits beside a brunette in short skirt and black stockings. Rebecca is Byron's wife, Annabella Milbanke. She doesn't have a high opinion of Miss Vine — "She's slept with half of London. Her nickname is Thumper. Like the rabbit. You understand?"

Persephone is deeply upset at Andrew's fraternizing with the enemy. He is not the only one come to Harrow in disgrace. Andrew saves what he hopes to be a friendship by sharing his anguish. He tells her about the frock-coated cadaver worrying over Theo's corpse, and how he's seen him again since, only this time a younger version. The strangler and the victim of the would-be-rapists are one and the same ghost.

P. 92 of 370+

[helrunar]

I'm quite intrigued by this, Dem. I may have to track down a copy.

cheers, Hel.

[dem]

Feb 22, 2023 21:49:53 GMT helrunar said:

I'm quite intrigued by this, Dem. I may have to track down a copy.

The cemetery has fascinated me since childhood. Have long thought of the Hill as the perfect setting for a ghost or horror story, but either I'm not looking in the right places or it's been overlooked. Only previous novel I know of to feature it prominently is Harry Adam Knight's Bedlam, which, unsurprisingly, I love. Anyway, The White Devil. There's an endorsement on the back from none other than Stephen King; "It gathers you in lovingly, then takes you in a stranglers grip with its escalating horrors," which is so spot on as to suggest he actually read the thing.

With the help of Fawkes and his closest at the school, Dr. Judith Kahn, the waspish librarian, Andrew has learnt the identity of his ghost; John Harness, ex-of the Lot, who left the school in 1807, and died in July 1809. Harness, a poor local youth, was a charity boarder at a time when "to enter Harrow as a free scholar was all but a death sentence." Starved by the masters, bullied by the pupils, he fell under the protection of an elder boy, hard as nails and bitter on account of a club foot, who adored his performance in a school production of John Webster's The White Devil. The pair became lovers.

Invigorated by the thrill of adventure, a gin-sodden Fawkes hires two workmen to smash through the wall of the cistern room in the Lot to gain access to what he suspects is a second cellar beneath. He's right. The prefect's bathroom of Harness and Byron's time at the school is exactly as described by Andrew when he confided his account of the attempted rape. Fawkes' wilful vandalism in pursuit of a "ghost" provides Jute the excuse to place him on a months' probation, under the watchful supervision of a housemaster Vine, Persephone's father. Should Vine report unfavourably, gloats Jute, he will have no option but to dismiss Fawkes as a worthless stinking drunk.

Andrew and roommate Roddy explore the prefects' bathroom after lights out. Andrew retrieves what he'd somehow mistaken for a handkerchief when the workmen gained access. A tin biscuit box containing love letters.

In other news, Cameron Findlay and his hangers-on take exception to the "scum" striking up a blossoming romance with the one girl in the school, aka "the slut," and make known their feelings. Rebecca 'Mrs. Byron in a short skirt,' is no less keen to come between them. Fawkes has gone cold turkey, poor man. Dr. Kahn continues to deliver the best lines. Still 150 of 370+ pages to go.

[helrunar]

Hi Dem,

So you've been to that place? His descriptions make it feel so real to me. I should look at photographs but his words are so vivid I haven't yet felt the need.

I started reading the novel on Wed. and it's very compelling! I wonder if the author has written anything else since.

cheers, Hel.

[dem]

Feb 24, 2023 23:39:03 GMT helrunar said:

So you've been to that place? His descriptions make it feel so real to me. I should look at photographs but his words are so vivid I haven't yet felt the need.

I started reading the novel on Wed. and it's very compelling! I wonder if the author has written anything else since.

Looks like it's his second genre novel after A Good and Happy Child. I enjoyed it a lot. Evans certainly captures something of the unearthliness of the school and surrounds (especially if approached via the depressing, brutally redeveloped town centre). I liked the Scooby gang of Andrew, Persephone (it's not like she had any say in her name), Fawkes and the magnificent Dr. Khan the librarian. Best of all, the vengeful ghost, wilfully unleashing a tuberculosis epidemic on the 'Lottites' and/ or any of Andrew's perceived lovers. Also found the love/lust scenes and Fawkes' battle to overcome his drink dependency convincing. In his afterword, the author, an American, confirms that, like the male lead, he spent a year at the school, though his was a far happier experience than Andrew's.

Yes, I've been to that place, though only ever been inside the school premises on a day trip as a little kid. I grew up two miles away (Byron Road, no less), took a job up on the Hill at the psychiatric clinic in my late teens - Bowden House: HAK's setting for the aforementioned Bedlam; used to cut through the graveyard to-and-from work each day. It's particularly impressive early morning in fog and snow. I go back every three-four months as part of some *ahem* "research" thing, but mostly to prove I can still climb that bastard hill.

[helrunar]

That's a great photo of that tomb. I finished the novel today. The ending was what I had expected but I thought it was well done. The Byron material was fascinating and Judith/Judy was definitely my favorite character.

It seems as if Justin Evans had a cancer diagnosis around 2012 and while he still seems to be among the living, appears to have stopped writing novels.

Thanks again for what was overall a very good read!

cheers, Hel.

[dem]

Glad you enjoyed it. Would like to see The White Devil filmed, provided it was shot on location (the school turns up in one or more Harry Potter movies; not sure about St. Mary's church, though.) I only posted the photo because I thought the churchyard and surrounding cemetery would play a prominent role in the book (spoiler; it doesn't). Anyway, here's what happened when three fearless young ghost hunters paid a visit in 2018 ...

We Vlog Ghosts: Harrow on the Hill

[𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr]

I'm curious about the supposed EVP app she is using.
I believe she is picking up random radio signals. One app states it " scan multiple frequencies for paranormal activity". 

[helrunar]

What a funny video. All three look like they're ready to freak out at any moment. Very Blair Witch Project.

The White Devil is fascinating in part because the spectre who is the center of the whole thing is such a classic instance of what the older folklore tells us about the type of revenants sometimes called vampires. I kept thinking that if this were happening in another culture, say a village in West Africa or certain parts of Eastern Europe, or the Indian subcontinent or Mongolia, there would have been trained personnel on the spot who would have understood exactly what was going on, and been fully equipped to deal with this unruly, predatory spirit. 

It was pretty much a minor sub-plot but the material with Father Peter reminded me of a significant theme in Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins novels (which I presume aren't read here, since I never see them mentioned)--the problem of church clerics being unable to cope with instances of malignant spiritual activity, since most of those worthy folk no longer believe in, or even comprehend, that broad category of phenomena sometimes termed "the supernatural." Inaccurate yes because nothing that happens on Earth can be said to be outside of Nature, but I do have an old fashioned love for the word.

Rather difficult to know how to deal with an officially appointed religious leader who tells one, "oh, I'm sure your daughter's demonic possession would be quickly resolved if we could just find the right therapist for her."

Saluting, Steve

[dem]

St. Mary's, Harrow-on-the-Hill, 17 March 2023. © Marion Bondage

Paid a visit to Harrow-on-the-Hill last Friday, specifically St. Mary's and churchyard, the bench on the green, and, in as much as it's possible just now, the grounds of the former Bowden House clinic. Constant rain, muddy going underfoot, (the climb from the station doesn't get any easier) ideal conditions for a visit. Finally remembered to sign the St. Mary's guestbook. Next, on to Wealdstone library, much improved from previous visit with proper local history section, even a set of vintage postcards of interest, these last available from the counter at 10p a time. Many thanks to the assistant for her patience. From there, a trawl around the several ghostly sites of Harrow Weald, culminating in a squelch through the haunted spinney on Marsh Lane and a sit down in the beautiful walled garden (unlocked for once). A terrific start to 2023 World tour!

Burton Stormcock - The Phantom Nun of St. Mary's Churchyard & Other Tales of Terror (Whitefriars, 1975)

Scenes from St. Mary's © Marion Bondage Picture Library

[𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr]

I asked Mother Superior if the convent library had any books by a Mr. Stormcock, who is obviously a great scholar, and I was sent to my room and now won't be having any supper. I'm very confused by all this, I'll play my harp to calm myself.

[helrunar]

Wow, great photos. Postcards 10 p each--did you stumble through a time vortex and wind up in 1960 again?

Burton Stormcock is literally a name to conjure with. I think I may have seen some of his videos on a certain site I visit in my private midnight moments (censored--no sex please, we're British).

Hel.

[dem]

Visited St. Mary's again on Tuesday morning last week. Didn't meet a soul, living or dead, in either the church or among the graves, which is a first. Plenty of ephemera available inside church, including copies of the newsletter, The Spire for July/ August (£1) and a Little Guide to St. Mary's leaflet (give what you can). They also have a table set aside for book donations. Anyway, should you be in the vicinity on Saturday evening;

St Mary's Strings present
a Concert In aid of the Spire Fund

Dag Wiren: Serenade for Strings
Elgar: Introduction and Allegro
Dvorak: Serenade for Strings

Conductor: Owain Arwel Hughes

Saturday October 7th at 7.30pm
Mary's Church, Church Hill
Harrow On the Hill HAI 3HL

Tickets available from St Mary's Church
£20 and £15 concessions

Please email to stmarys.harrowATbtinternet.com
Or phone [phone] to book a ticket

[𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr]

The Peachey Tomb is mentioned here:

archive.org/details/talesofoldmiddle0000hall/page/92/mode/2up

"Ask to see Byron’s tomb at Harrow School and you could cause confusion to any ill-informed tourists within earshot.

The poet Lord Byron is not buried at Harrow at all. What they will show you is the grave of John Peachey, who died in 1780. Not a famous man at all but he must have been of some significance in his day for he secured a resting-place with the finest view in Middlesex, looking out dramatically towards Windsor and beyond."

A traditional Harrow song is mentioned:

Byron lay, lazily lay,
Hid from lesson and game away
Dreaming poetry all alone
Up-a-top of the Peachey stone.

You can see the tomb in an earlier post by dem bones.

This book also mentions The Silver Arrow contest and John Lyon, though I'm a bit confused by the dates of it:

www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/515670