Purcell adds a third voice to the story, that of Elsie Bainbridge set some time in the future, after something terrible happened at the Bridge and she is now ensconced at St. Meanwhile, her husband insists that their daughter Hetta, born without a tongue and therefore mute, should not be allowed to attend the festivities, and here is where everything starts to fall apart. She discovers some flat, lifelike figures carved from wood in an odd shop and decides they will be a perfect diversion for their visitors. The household is all abuzz as they make preparations for the royal visit, and Anne takes it upon herself to secure all sorts of interesting items with which to entertain the Queen. Anne is a young wife and mother, and her husband Josiah has just been told that the King and Queen will come to visit them in the summer. The second timeline takes place in 1635 and relates the story of Anne Bainbridge as told through her diary. They also find an old diary written by one of Rupert’s ancestors, a woman named Anne Bainbridge. Although the door is locked, one day it opens on its own and Elsie and Sarah discover a dusty wooden figure painted to look like a little girl, called a silent companion. Elsie hears a hissing noise coming from the garret, which no one seems to hear but her.

Accompanied by her husband’s cousin Sarah, Elsie settles into the large, drafty house, but right away strange things begin to happen. In 1865, Elsie Bainbridge has arrived at her late husband Rupert’s family mansion, the Bridge, to bury him, as he’s just died under mysterious circumstances. The story focuses on two main characters in two different time periods. Wow, this book surprised me! I have to admit it takes a lot to creep me out, but I was jumping at shadows the entire time I was reading this book, and since my usual reading time is at night in bed, you can imagine I didn’t sleep very well for a couple of nights! If you love Gothic style writing and creepy atmosphere then this book is a must read. The Silent Companions was a wonderful break from review books this month, especially since it’s October and I couldn’t have picked a more perfect scary read.

The nitty-gritty: An eerie and atmospheric Gothic ghost story with layers upon layers of secrets, gorgeously written. Published by Penguin Books on March 6 2018

The silent companions