Possessed: A Lost Novel of the Occult

by Rosalie Synton, Edward Synton, Johnny Mains (Introduction)

John Travers has been hanged for the murder of his mother-in-law Helga, but to those who knew him something is amiss. Driven by justice and a sense of uncanny forces at work, John’s friend Doctor Toogood recounts a haunting tale of love and jealousy under the fell influence of a shadowy and implacable evil. First published in 1927, this novel by husband-and-wife writing duo Rosalie and Edward Synton (real surname Corse-Scott) has been lost for nearly a century and returns now from the Library collections to deliver its occult thrills anew.

Genres: Horror

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1927

Reviews

[Paul]

Number 68 in the Tales of the Weird series published by the British Library. It’s a novel published in 1927 by husband and wife writing team Edward and Rosalie Synton. It has been virtually unknown and unpublished for almost one hundred years. Little is known about them, but the writer of the introduction, Johnny Mains, has done a good job of piecing together what we do know. We know they moved to New Zealand in 1937 and had published bits and pieces before that, including this novel.
The 1920s were a time when spiritualism and the occult were very much in vogue, for obvious reasons. The losses from the First World War were significant and those left behind struggled to find meaning and reasons for it all. Some lost faith, others found it. Many tried to contact loved ones via mediums and spiritualism. This novel as the title suggests, looks at the idea that not everything on the “other side” was positive and happy.
This is not so much a whodunnit, but a whydunnit. John Travers has murdered his mother-in-law Helga Stourcross and has been hanged. The novel is in three parts. The first part is an account of the whole history by Dr Toogood, a close friend of Travers. The second part is an account by Travers himself explaining what happened. The final part is an account written by Helga Stourcross just before her murder.
Various issues come into play. Certainly the effects of the war, both mental and physical on the two men involved. Love and hate, power and control. Helga realises she has power and sort of understands the source of the power and learns to use it. To say more would necessitate spoilers.
It’s an interesting period piece and if you like gothic tales with a few twists you may like this.

[Paul]

The story opens with an account of a man being hanged for murder. The narrator describes him as the best man he has ever known. A question forms in my mind: why would a man described as being like this be executed for murder? Intriguing.

The narrator and the man facing execution, John Travers, have a friendship that goes back to childhood. Tragic circumstances meant that they both moved back to the UK, having been in India. They were living in Surrey and were as close as brothers. They both applied to Sandhurst together.

The narrator, Tom Toogood, is then best man for Travers when he marries Muriel. It was at this point that he first met Muriel’s mother, Helga, too, and she was a woman that he had some strong opinions about.

Now they were married, he left them to get on with their lives, and they slowly drifted apart as friends. One day, out of the blue, he received a telegram from John saying:

MURIEL SERIOUSLY ILL THINK MENTAL HEALTH

FOR GOD’S SAKE COME AT ONCE. JOHN

He hurried to their house in Bournemouth where he found both John and Muriel ill. Helga was caring for them and really didn’t want to see Tom, a doctor now, there at all. It was a strange set of circumstances, and as he began to unpick what was going on, it would become stranger still.

The complex relationship between the four main characters unfolds and unravels as the story’s pace quickens. And I am not going to add any more than that, as it will spoil the story…

I thought that this was a fairly good book, even though it is pretty predictable. But even though I guessed what had happened, the how and why of how the author got us from the opening scene to the dramatic ending is what made the book for me. It can be very dark at times; after all, it is a very early example of a psychological thriller, but I didn’t find it that scary. What I would say, particularly on this edition, is to read the introduction after you have read the book. However, the author does say when to stop reading it, and when to read the story.

[Jen]

3.25⭐️

[KDS]

I am astonished this book was lost for so long (originally published in 1927). This powerful gothic occult romance gallops along at pace, gets progressively darker and more tragic, and kept me gripped right through to the climactic revelations.

Despite the short length and rapid pacing, it is grounded in a lot more depth than a traditional supernatural story. I'm not going to spoil the plot because it rewards discovery, but at its core it is a deep discussion about love versus hate as tangible forces. It also hinges a lot around faith; faith not just in God, but in accepting the mystic and spiritual side of human nature. Hypnotism, Mediums, demonic forces are much more readily accepted here by the central characters, which breaks down the barriers for the plot to whip along.

There are three separate accounts here. The main one is from the doctor who is essentially narrating the events. The second is a confession and wistful meditation by the perpetrator of the crime, with the final account the dramatic revelations from the woman at the cntre at of the whole narrative. All three differentiated expertly in style and tone.

Most stories lost in time or barely heard of even in literary circles are that way for a reason. This is a genuine classic and hopefully its restoration will cement its place as a cornerstone of the weird and occult genre.

[p.]

An excellent pull from the archives and what this series truly is about!

The story is nearly 100 years old now and still reads very contemporary. It is riveting but also much more layered than you would expect at first glance (and so are its characters). It's rare for me to say this but I would love to see it adapted to a visual medium to help truly bring it out of obscurity.

[Michael John Paul McManus]

What a great book by Rosalie and Edward Synton. Told in three parts, it tells the story of a mother possessed by evil, all in the name of love. All she wanted in life was love, but never got it. I won't ruin it for anyone, but it is a great read indeed. Another excellent book from the British Library of the Weird. 10/10.

[Mike]

What a splendid book. There's a twist, too!

It opens with an introduction by Johnny Mains - I'd leave reading that until you've finished the story - and then it consists of a number of parts, each narrated by a different character.

It has one of the great female antagonists and some of the nicest people you could hope to meet.

[Kayleigh (Hedwigsbooks)]

A very interesting, and quite dark book at times! I feel like it's less Occult than implied in the title but still has an excellent voice and interesting structure.

[Lee Bridges]

Truly horrible in the end, but a great read.

[Rebecca Rash]

😭😭😭 where has this been?!