The tone and the rhythm are perfect for this strange world where the dead and the living seem to coexist and to interact. The writing has a hypnotic, dreamlike quality, achieved largely -I would say- by the use of the third person omniscient point of view, by the limited use of contractions, and by the almost screenplay feel of many of its paragraphs. So many of the elements of the Gothic novel are present here: Leonhard, the fallen hero, Elisa, the woman in distress, threatened by and fleeing from the evil Quentin, the general sense of unease and foreboding, the powerful love. He opened his eyes abruptly as he felt a heat spreading inside him it was as though he had been covered by the most splendid earthly sunlight.” He listened to the melody’s phantasmagoric cadence and the sounds penetrated his skin, his bones, until he could feel the music within him. It came from a distance and approached Leonhard slowly, surrounding him. “The silence of the night was broken by a beautiful female voice singing a lullaby. Sousa’s ability to bring her characters to “life” in drawings as well as in words enhances the experience and fully draws the reader into the rich world of her story. And in “The Night of Elisa” she tells a unique, absorbing story.įrom the magnificent cover through the pencil sketches in the book to the beautiful flourishes on each page, Ms.

One thing I find certain -whether she uses words or images, she is a great storyteller. Isis Sousa keeps saying that she’s not a writer and that “writing sucks.” Maybe. With her health deteriorating, how will she summon the courage and strength to stand her ground? And how far will she go in the pursuit of a dream? Embark with Elisa on this puzzling Gothic adventure set in the late Victorian era, between the world of the Living and the picturesque, melancholic Duskland. Trapped between the nuances of life and beyond-life, Elisa finds herself struggling for a better tomorrow. He robs her of almost everything she holds dear: her health, her wealth and what is left of her family. Her life becomes a dark, cold, lonely cage the day the devil takes her as his wife. Sometimes, life and love can follow the most obscure paths, just as they did for Elisa. Parental guidance: for 16+ Contains blood, nudity and dark themes.: The Night of Elisa - A Gothic Novella. It is first and furthermost Victorian Gothic, but can also fit within other genres such as Dark Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery and Occult. The book is bound with 30+ pencil illustrations of ornaments, characters and objects and a unique layout. Its writing experimental, mixing influences of cinema, genre fiction and comic books. The Night of Elisa is a dark tale for adults.

The Night of Elisa by Isis Sousa