There are few books in the world where you pick them up and feel like it was written just for you, and The Monk is such a book for me. This gothic tale tells two stories, the first is about the corruptible monk Ambrosio and the second about the disgraced nun Agnes. Initially, it seems these are two separate stories but the threads for both are neatly woven and intersect by the end.

This book has everything I look for in a truly great gothic novel: medieval monasteries, ghosts, witches, the devil, moody weather and dark crypts. It perfectly captures that dark and haunting mood and tone of the gothic that I love so much. Generally, it's a beautifully written novel with a dark setting and an even darker story.

The narrative is equal parts melodramatic and horrifying. On the one hand, this book is highly entertaining and I could not stop reading Ambrosio's downfall and the scandal surrounding Agnes. On the other, it tackles really dark and serious topics around seduction and temptation, the corruption of power and religion. There are horrific things that happen in this book but Lewis engages with everything that happens within the plot in a critical and thought-provoking way, providing a fascinating commentary on morality.

Thematically, one could spend a forever dissecting everything that happens, particularly within the historical context of when it was written. The anti-Catholicism present throughout is a reflection of 18th century Britain and the commentary around the ineffectuality of Catholicism is not very subtle. There are multiple themes like this that feature throughout the book all of which were fascinating to me and handled very well.

All in all this is one of my favourite gothic novels of all time. It feels like Lewis set out to do something very specific with this book and went in hard on it with excellent results, everything feels intentional and purposeful. I can certainly see why this is a classic. This is a book I would love to revisit in the future.