The Extraordinary Florence Stoker

This is a biographical novel about Florence (Florrie) Stoker, the sometimes maligned and little-known wife of Bram Stoker, the author of “Dracula”. She was destined to play a prominent role in the artistic and society salons of her era, and in her later years became the champion of copyright laws and regulations, but has remained largely forgotten.
 
Before marrying Bram, Florrie has a close relationship with Oscar Wilde and her extensive roll-call of friends include other celebrities and luminaries such as the actress Ellen Terry, W.S. Gilbert (as in Gilbert & Sullivan), Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), George Bernard Shaw, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and many, many others.
 
But there is one man that she could never get along with and, in fact, comes to detest, and that is the prominent actor Sir Henry Irving, who has an inexplicable - one might even suggest sinister - hold over Bram, who acts as his manager and general factotum.
 
This strange situation tasks Florrie to the limit and comes to taint her marriage. The attempted rescue of a drowning man by Bram is the catalyst for Florrie’s horrific ghostly dreams that play their part in the creation of Bram’s most famous character. There are even suggestions that other famous supernatural works such as Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and George du Maurier’s “Trilby” are sparked by conversations with Florrie.
 
This is the age when one must be extremely careful and secretive about any “irregular” relationships or sexual inclinations. Florrie becomes concerned that Bram is unhealthily obsessed with Henry Irving and perhaps is similarly inclined to Wilde who would soon famously be tried and found guilty of unnatural conduct.
 
As Florrie observes after reading “Dracula” for the first time, being struck with the  wickedness and the sensuousness of the story, and how all of us are shapeshifters: “Adopting a guise to suit the occasion … Hiding our real selves from the world, wearing masks and elaborate costumes, assuming socially acceptable behaviours to pass as one thing in a world that didn’t allow us to be anything else. I thought of Oscar, his defiance and the cost … The notion that someone can control another, take over their life, drain them of their will …” and that the drinking of blood could be “… a metaphor for stealing someone’s soul.”
 
In her later years, Florrie has longstanding battles with unscrupulous playwrights and movie companies over the blatant theft of the “Dracula” plot by the makers of the film “Nosferatu” and her final victory is to secure copyright laws for authors that are still in place today.
 
The background history and research are thorough, sitting neatly into the story without ever overwhelming it. All of the main characters are complex and strong. Florrie is endlessly conflicted in her love for Bram, who is often found wanting as both a husband and father to their only son, Noel. The only slight quibble is that once we share in Florrie’s loathing of living in the shadow of Henry Irving - which even continues long after his death – a phantom “always there, waiting in the wings for his cue” – perhaps doesn’t need quite as much repeated reinforcement.
 
Before her passing in 1937, Florrie finally has her revenge: “Dead for thirty years now, Sir Henry Irving, the man who’d pack the theatres, had become a ghost, a mere shadow. It was a rich irony that few remembered who he was or what he’d done, and it was the name Bram Stoker that was repeated with respect … That his employee had eclipsed him would be a stake in Henry’s heart.”
 
The author’s extensive notes summarise the research and any liberties taken with the truth. This is a masterful novel that gives voice to “Mrs Dracula”, a woman who definitely deserves to be remembered, especially for her battle and determination to protect authorly copyright.
 
Four-and-a-half stars

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