REVIEW: The Silent Companions (Laura Purcell)

Book: The Silent Companions

Author: Laura Purcell

Premise: Newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate. But inside her new home lies a locked room, and beyond that door lies a deeply unsettling painted wooden figure - a Silent Companion.

This book was your classic haunted house, Victorian, gothic horror novel. It was a bit slow to start with but then got quite spooky. The atmosphere was brilliantly created, with this building sense of claustrophobia.

There are 3 timelines that form the story. You have present day Elsie in an asylum, her recounting her time at the house, and a diary from the house owners two centuries earlier. I found the diary flashbacks a bit jarring at times. While they added some insight and explanation, it was not totally satisfying and didn't fully explain things.

But I really did enjoy the vibes of this book!