by Jason Lee
First published 2020
Gwynplaine wanders the English coast alone after criminals abandon him. The Comprachicos bought and disfigured him, carving a permanent smile into his face. During a winter storm, he finds a dead woman in the snow with a living infant on her breast. He saves the baby girl and seeks help from strangers. Ursus, a carnival owner with a pet wolf, takes in both children despite his initial horror at Gwynplaine's appearance. The boy becomes a popular attraction at the shows, drawing crowds who come to stare at his grotesque grin. Years pass and Gwynplaine grows into a young man, still performing for audiences who laugh at his disfigurement. When the aristocratic Duchess Josiana attends one of his performances, she feels an unexpected attraction to him. Gwynplaine must navigate a world that sees him as either a monster or entertainment, searching for genuine human connection in a society divided by class and cruelty.
Genres: classic-literature, historical-fiction, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, monster-romance
Setting: England
Period: 19th-century
Paperback
Content warnings: body-horror