NPR's Book of the Day Angela Tomaski’s debut novel takes readers on a tour of an English manor in decline
Feb 2, 2026
Angela Tomaski, debut novelist who drew on personal experience to shape The Infamous Gilberts, guides a tour of a decaying English manor. She explores the house through its objects. Conversations touch on parental absence, wartime trauma, and how ordinary lives become ruins of grand histories.
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Objects Keep Lives Anchored
- Angela Tomaski frames a family's story through objects in a decaying manor to show how small things hold big meaning.
- She was inspired by touring a neo-Gothic house where removed objects erased vivid links to the past.
House Mirrors Family Collapse
- Thornwalk's physical decay mirrors Hugo's inability to hold the family together after the father's absence.
- The house and Hugo disintegrate together, signaling wider collapse of traditional family structures.
Fire Reveals Vulnerability
- Tomaski recounts a scene where a spark lights the library rug and Annabelle, having blackouts, can't see the fire.
- The incident reveals Annabelle's medical vulnerability and how lack of paternal protection worsened her harm.
