Title: A World So Small
Fandom: Bandom
Pairing: Frank/Gerard
Categories: angst, AU, drama, historical, mystery
Length: Long (~31,000 words)
Warnings: morbidity

Author on LJ: jezrana
Author’s Writing Journal: wordslinging

Review:
When Frank’s doctor advises him to leave London for the country, he goes to stay with Mikey. But Mikey’s house is a giant mansion in ill-repair, and seems to be full of secrets. Will Frank find the deepest secret of all?

This is one of the best current stories set in the Victorian Era, including published ones, that I’ve come across. Generally, authors who write Victorian fic nowadays hit one of two pitfalls: they sacrifice accuracy for characterization, or the writing is forced throughout the story. Although the first can be excusable, and generally isn’t the death knell of a story, I find the second simply impossible to read.

Jez has—to my mind—managed to avoid both of these errors. It has the feel of a Bronte sister story, full of dreary landscapes and dramatic plots, but revolving around a single rather bleak character, in this case Frank.

The characterizations in this one are spot-on, although Mikey’s character was never, to my mind, fully explored. Because of this, the ending seems to come too early, and the epilogue is rather disappointing. (Actually, this, too reminded me of the Bronte sisters. “Jane Eyre” and “Wuthering Heights” both had disappointing endings in my mind’s eye.) But, luckily, the rest of the story is so wonderfully written to leave the reader more that satisfied.

A World So Small Masterpost