Haunted by the death of her father, whom she lost at only five years of age, and ever since then feeling unloved and unappreciated by her secretive and domineering mother, Constance Jacobson has grown up to be an emotionally distraught woman with little sense of self or self-esteem. Rebelling against the husband she believes no longer cares for her and determined to be master of her own destiny, she gets her wish in a frightfully fateful way when she becomes obsessed with a Grecian vase she sees in a curio shop window and decides she must have it at any cost. But once this Pandora's Box is opened and Constance's inner demons are set free, her terrible choices lead her into a darkness that may be even worse than insanity.
One of the most hypnotically disturbing novels I've read in years, The Beautiful Evil brings a depth and horror to the story of Pandora's Box (jar) that I never felt to read the original Greek myth. Mixing a modernized story of Pandora with some further Greek mythology, as well as with other subtle spiritual symbolism and philosophy/theodicy, this is a powerful and frightening novel that will not only keep you guessing as you read, but probably contemplating it long after.
