Review by Kelly Jarvis: Letters from an Imaginary Country by Theodora Goss

I have long been a fan of Theodora Goss’ hauntingly beautiful writing, but her latest collection, Letters from an Imaginary Country, is one of my favorites. Goss has crafted an anthology of old and new stories designed to push readers past the defined boundaries of speculative fiction, and the characters, prose, and insight found within its pages will linger long after the book has been closed.

Goss, who was born in Hungary and immigrated to the United States during her childhood, uses her personal experiences to create fictional stories which capture the harrowing but empowering influence of liminality. In selections like Dora/Dora: An Autobiography and To Budapest, With Love, Goss explores her childhood home, honoring it while wondering about the effect it might have had upon a young woman’s life experiences. Goss also makes use of her deep knowledge of Victorian literature and feminist theories to explore well-known 19^th century characters including Dracula’s Mina Harker and Frankenstein’s daughter. Fans of The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club, Goss' trilogy about the daughters of infamous Victorian monsters (Mary Jekyll, Diana Hyde, Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherine Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein) will find an origin story in The Mad Scientist’s Daughter, and those who love folkloric characters like the Snow Queen will enjoy England Under the White Witch. Goss uses her extensive talents to present multiple variants of complex characters while also rounding out the flat characters found in the background of famous stories. The tales in this collection contain an epistolary element which mires them in 19^th century sensibilities, but they also echo with clear contemporary context. Although the selections can be enjoyed in isolation, taken together, images, themes, and characters resonate, creating a deep connection between the writer and her readers.

Letters from an Imaginary Country is the latest brilliant work from an expert writer. Whether you are revisiting an old friend or reading Theodora Goss for the first time, prepare to be enchanted by what you find. This collection will always have a special space on my bookshelf and in my heart. You can find it here.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

Kelly Jarvis teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University and works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and a Recurring Columnist for Eternal Haunted Summer. Her poetry and fiction have appeared in A Moon of One’s Own, Baseball Bard, Blue Heron Review, Corvid Queen, Enchanted Conversation, Forget Me Not Press, Mermaids Monthly, Mothers of Enchantment, The Chamber Magazine, and The Magic of Us. Her debut novella, Selkie Moon, was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2025-2026 Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship. Visit Kelly online at kellyjarviswriter.com.