As We Await Margaret Qualley inVictorian Psycho, Author Virginia Feito Reveals the ‘Sick Delight’ Of the Novel(Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Virginia Feito and the cover of ‘Victorian Psycho’.Photo:Tiffany A. Bloomfield; courtesy

Tiffany A. Bloomfield; courtesy

Feito, a longtime reader of gothic literature from Charles Dickens to the Brontë sisters, says that she’s always been enamored with the time period — especially some of its less savory elements.

courtesy

“There was an epidemic of infanticide in the 1800s, apparently, where a member of parliament said something to the effect of he thought one in every 30 women must be murderesses, just based on how many dead babies they were finding everywhere,” Feito says. “It was an insanely violent, decadently dark era.”

This, along with her love of true crime andAmerican Psychoprotagonist Patrick Bateman, helped influence Winfred’s character. Despite a more difficult novel writing process the second time around — Feito says it was “alarming how easy” it was to penMrs. March— Winfred’s voice came to her with ease.

“The best literature is asking questions, not necessarily answering them,” Feito adds. “So a great unreliable narrator is so satisfying.”

Virginia Feito.Tiffany A. Bloomfield

Tiffany A. Bloomfield

Feito finds her interest in the macabre particularly fascinating because she experienced what she calls “too sunny a childhood.” Raised in Madrid and Paris, the author says her household was strict. Despite her parents never letting her watch R-rated movies (Feito would seek out the scripts on her own), they were always happy to take a trip to Disney World.

“I have always been drawn to the darkness of things,” Feito says. “I wonder if I was overprotected and that’s what made me love the psychopath of it all. Not a trauma in sight, so maybe I’ve had to build them.”Feito also finds it crucial to balance humor with horror, an underlying theme in both of her novels. InMrs. March, an Upper East Side housewife turns sinister, defying reader’s expectations. InVictorian Psycho, despite some scenes of graphic violence, the humor lies within Winfred’s nonchalance about her horrifying inclinations.

“I think she’s using the humor to manipulate me, the writer, and you, the reader, into laughing along with her and seeing how far she can push the violence and have you on her side,” Feito says. “At the end of the day, she’s having a lovely time. She’s thrilled. She’s having so much fun. She just wants you to come along with her.”

“I love cinema so dearly that I’m just so grateful that I can actually watch this unfold,” Feito says. “I wouldn’t want to do the same thing over and over again; that would be boring. And this is a different medium. It’s logical that the story will change a little, and I can’t wait to see how it looks.”And asVictorian Psychomoves toward the screen, Feito hopes the book sticks with readers at least until it does.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“I would love it if there was a lingering feeling attached to the novel after reading it for a long time,” she says. “Or that the reader feels like they’ve gone on a trip, and will remember that. Even if it’s negative, which, obviously, I hope it’s not. I hope it’s a positive experience of sick delight.”Victorian Psychois available now, wherever books are sold.

source: people.com