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Go shoppingInterview with Virginia Feito | Victorian Psycho
In this exclusive interview, Virginia Feito delves into the dark, satirical world of her new novel, Victorian Psycho, exploring the psychological depth of her characters and reflecting on modern-day parallels in mental health, isolation, and identity.
“In Victorian Psycho, I wanted to take the romanticised version of the Victorian era and fling some feces at it,” says Virginia Feito with a wry smile. Her bold approach to storytelling peels back the layers of Victorian society, exposing its contradictions, power struggles, and hidden darkness. Through her unapologetic portrayal of a cold-blooded female psychopath, Feito questions whether societal pressures and repression can truly explain such violent behaviour—or if, perhaps, the madness runs much deeper.
Q&A with Virginia Feito
Eric Akoto: What draws you to write characters who grapple with inner demons and distorted realities? Do you find it more challenging to write about characters with such intense mental states?
Virginia Feito: I’d find it way more challenging to write characters who are totally uncomplicated and happy in life! I don’t think there can be higher stakes than your own mental breakdown, so that’s what I feel compelled to explore. I almost see plot as an excuse to delve into characters’ psychologies. People, their choices, and their obsessions, are what most fascinates me.
Eric Akoto: Themes of mental health and identity have been explored in modern works like Fleabag and Joker, where protagonists struggle with societal pressures. How does your novel contribute to modern conversations about mental health, especially with regards to women’s inner lives?
Virginia Feito: Winifred has experienced an awful, abusive upbringing and lives in a deranged society that represses her every urge. I wanted to ask the reader how anyone could possibly remain sane under these conditions. However, she is a cold-blooded psychopath, and we tend to romanticize those – does her suffering fully explain the violence she commits on innocent people? I wonder if Winifred might behave the same way if she lived in a more understanding, nourishing environment.
Eric Akoto: Gothic stories often explore power dynamics, particularly within class structures. What can readers learn from the Victorian setting of Victorian Psycho and its depiction of social hierarchies?
Virginia Feito: Victorian Psycho is definitely a satirical portrayal of Victorian class structures, albeit more truthful than people might expect. There was a lot of extreme stuff people got away with in those days… though I guess they still do. I’ve seen modern privilege that doesn’t differ much from some of the interactions portrayed in this novel, particularly in regard to staff.
Eric Akoto: Your portrayal of the female psyche in Victorian Psycho is deeply layered, especially in relation to repression and emotional instability. What message do you hope resonates with readers today, particularly in light of movements like #MeToo?
Virginia Feito: I wanted to avoid the women-as-victims trope and create a straightforward, unsympathetic female psychopath, but I couldn’t avoid delving into the societal pressures women face and how these could bring anyone to a boiling point that would spill over into violence. Although I do think we’ve made some progress in the female mental health department since the Victorian era, when it was so easy to cart women off to asylums whenever they exhibited any kind of overt feeling, it’s no wonder we still feel vulnerable in a world that seems set up to attack us.
“I wanted to take the romanticised version of the era and fling some feces at it.”
Eric Akoto: In reviews, Victorian Psycho has been compared to Fleabag for its dark humour. How did you navigate weaving humour into such a gothic and macabre tone?
Virginia Feito: When researching the time period, I kept coming across all these extravagant cases of violence… it was all so ridiculous, so brutal, that it was actually kind of hilarious. I couldn’t help but lean into the satire, from the point of view of a protagonist who’s looking at us like “I know, I can’t even.” She did feel anachronistic from the start.
Eric Akoto: After the global pandemic, many people experienced isolation in new ways. How do the themes of isolation and claustrophobia in *Victorian Psycho* resonate today, and did the pandemic shape your storytelling?
Virginia Feito: I actually started researching and writing this novel during lockdown, and the weirdness and isolation of that moment definitely seeped into the writing. I think we’ve come to understand that specific type of claustrophobia better after experiencing it firsthand, but the thing about being isolated in today’s world is that we’re able to peer into the rest of the world through the internet or the TV. Back then, though, there was no such escapism, and even less for women.
Eric Akoto: Both Mrs. March and Victorian Psycho feature female protagonists who seem to live under a mask, hiding darker truths. What drew you to explore this theme of hidden lives, especially in today’s curated online world?
Virginia Feito: I truly think today’s influencer culture is akin to that of the 1950s housewives who bragged about their perfect roasts and whose husbands never saw them sleeping in rollers. Modern society, with its filters and surgery and cosmetics culture, is way more repressed than it thinks. Both Mrs. March and Winifred Notty have been ostracized when they’ve shown their true natures, so it makes sense they would try to hide them thereafter.
Eric Akoto: In Victorian Psycho, Ensor House almost becomes a character itself. How does the house reflect the protagonist’s internal turmoil, and do you see any modern equivalents to the oppressive homes of gothic literature?
Virginia Feito: I almost think the house represents Victorian society – it’s imposing and labyrinthine and contradictory, wrapped in chintz and velvet while hiding its mess in chamber pots tucked under beds. Gothic Victorian homes store crazy women in attics and hide doors behind tapestries. I wonder if today’s minimalist homes are a sort of modern equivalent – so slick and clean and perfect on the surface, not a cable or washing machine in sight, which is oppressive in itself. A punctilious lack of clutter seems to me like a performance.
Eric Akoto: With the rise of “toxic nostalgia” in pop culture, where shows revisit the past with a critical eye, how does Victorian Psycho interrogate the Victorian era and its ideals?
Virginia Feito: To be fair, some Victorian novels such as Wuthering Heights are darker than a lot of modern literature, but I certainly wanted to take the romanticised version of the era and fling some feces at it. I am actually kind of sorry I did this, as beloved books such as A Christmas Carol have been forever ruined now that I know what I know about the period (and about its author, who quietly flirted with the idea of committing his wife to an insane asylum).
Thank you, Virginia, for sharing your insights into Victorian Psycho.
Victorian Psycho, Published by Liverlight is set to release on February 4, 2025
About Eric Akoto
Eric Akoto is the visionary founder of Litro Magazine, an international platform dedicated to celebrating diverse voices and fostering storytelling across borders. Under his leadership, Litro has evolved into a vibrant hub where emerging writers and established authors come together, creating a dynamic space for literary innovation and cultural dialogue. Eric’s entrepreneurial spirit and creative foresight have made Litro a beacon for cross-cultural exchange in the literary world. Beyond his professional endeavours, Eric is a passionate advocate for personal well-being, balancing his pursuits with a commitment to meditation and his love for tennis.
