The Writing Retreat Commentary

“For so long I let other people make me feel like I wasn’t good enough. That, in order to be a real writer, I had to get some agent or publisher to believe in me. Until then it would just be a delusion. But that’s bullshit. Because even if I never publish anything, I’m a writer. I’m a writer, and no one can take that away from me.”

In Julia Bartz’s The Writing Retreat, we follow a small group of young women writers taking a month-long residency in an old, country manor, hosted by an (in)famous author, Roza, whose motivations begin mysterious but evolve to be sinister. It’s a book about writers and the act of writing. Nothing quite appeals to a writer like a story about writers. I’m, therefore, biased. But for those who aren’t writers, the story’s mystery unfolding is alluring plenty. With notes of Shirley Jackson and Hill House, The Writing Retreat is a thrilling, psychological ride about broken friendships, the creative process, queer desire, and scary stories.

The book switches between our main character, Alex’s perspective, then excerpts from the novel she is writing at the retreat. Preferring the main story vastly, I didn’t care for the novel excerpts. I felt detached from the story within the story, though it followed a similar trajectory as its A-plot. Had the B-plot been removed from the book, I don’t think I’d miss it. Though intended to be a scary story, I did not feel scared while reading. Initially, I wondered if this was purposeful. Alex thinks she is a good writer, but isn’t. However, when Alex’s novel is complimented by a very critical Roza numerous times, I got the impression that the novel was supposed to be good. Yes, Roza is unreliable and duplicitous, but there is a genuine affection toward Alex, and I think she’d be brutally truthful if the book wasn’t good. At pivotal moments in the B-plot, I even found myself rolling my eyes. Perhaps the novel in the novel is meant to be bad to keep our focus primarily on the main story, but, in that case, maybe the book is better without it.

The primary plot, however, is delicious and fun. A page-turner. Alex’s destroyed friendship with one of the other writers is compelling drama, especially when they are put into dangerous, horrifying situations. Roza’s persona is as vicious and charismatic as a Hannibal Lector type (also, the book has a very Silence of the Lambs ending), but with the fabulous aura of a Lady Dimitrescu. The central conflict, though it takes a while to really get there, is a delightful idea, executed well. And, as someone who is currently querying a story to agents, rejected over and over again, I sincerely appreciated the book’s core message about writing. Though I do seek out the structural support of an agent or publisher, I try to write for myself. But it’s true that there is a threshold of success and approval that comes with acquiring an agent or being published, a threshold I crave on a surface level to prove to myself that I’m good enough. But lately I’ve discovered that, no matter if I’m rejected forever, I’ll still be writing, because it is what I crave most to do, deeply. The Writing Retreat was a pleasant, earnest reminder of this.

For fans of horror, I caught a few references to classics like The Shining, which add fun to the reading experience. Have fun!