The Dowry

Maggie Gould

The painter Jonathan Reizel falls in love with Roberta (Robbie) Gilmore, wife of the art critic Laurentz Gilmore. They run away together—but Gilmore hurls a curse on them: “Your loins will wither away and your seed will bring forth monsters.” Jonathan, terrified that this curse will be fulfilled, is relieved that the child Robbie bears, a little girl named Mollyrob, seems normal. But has the curse been fulfilled after all? *The Dowry,* written by an otherwise unknown New York actress, Maggy Gould, is a powerful novel of both supernatural and psychological horror, as Laurentz’s enmity toward Jonathan wreaks havoc on Jonathan’s health and taints his love for Robbie. This grimly powerful tale, first published in 1949, has waited too long to find a new generation of readers who can appreciate its fine writing, skillful character portrayal, and hints of spectacular horror.