Pages: 398
Published: 21st January 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction/Gothic Horror
Content warnings: Injury detail, child death
As the age of the photograph dawns in Victorian Bath, silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another… Why is the killer seemingly targeting her business?
Desperately seeking an answer, Agnes approaches Pearl, a child spirit medium lodging in Bath with her older half-sister and her ailing father, hoping that if Pearl can make contact with those who died, they might reveal who killed them. But Agnes and Pearl quickly discover that instead they may have opened the door to something they can never put back.
This book contains all the atmosphere and spookiness you could possibly wish for, yet it does not quite manage to succeed in delivering a captivating plot. Despite some excellent writing and a mystery that does draw you in, there is always the sense that it lacks that little bit of a spark to turn what is undeniably a good read into a great one.
It completely immerses you in a dark and shadowy Victorian era world, using dual perspectives to tell an often tragic story that scours the murky subjects of spirit mediums and ways to reawaken the dead, with many sinister incidents and characters whose motives are unclear. An entirely Gothic tale, it occasionally verges into areas that would not be out of place in the horror genre.
Aside from the moments where characters experience the briefest glimmer of hope, the plot is rather grim and only gets more upsetting as it unfolds. There is no shortage of intrigue, however, as slowly you are thrust into a murder mystery where the answers apparently extend beyond the knowledge of the living, and the fact that the small pool of suspects is enhanced by the idea that supernatural forces might be at play, leaves everything open to speculation.
The idea that Agnes’ customers and the people closest to her are being targeted is chilling, and she is understandably desperate in her search for answers. Defying the advice of her attentive physician and brother in-law Simon, she seeks the help of Pearl, a troubled 11-year-old albino girl who appears to have the ability to communicate with spirits of the departed.
As a concept, it is very strong indeed and there are multiple occasions where the story looks to be on the brink of catching fire, but sadly it never quite manages to do so. There is just something missing; perhaps another layer to the plot or just a tad more substance which would have moved the plot in a clearer, more coherent direction. One of the writing clichés is that a plot must have an obvious beginning, middle, and end – which is arguably where this one falters.
That is not to say that the book is without moments of inspiration. Laura Purcell is an expert at providing curveballs towards the end that flip a story on its head, and here she turns Agnes into an unreliable narrator in a heartbeat with a surprise revelation. It was the actual ending itself which left me feeling a little dissatisfied, as the outcome of the mystery is somewhat vague.
Both Agnes and Pearl are written in the third person, and their shared existence is gloomy to say the least. There is an inner determination about Agnes and her sense of urgency makes her fairly easy to connect with as a protagonist, although these traits sometimes lead her to be inconsiderate of Pearl’s plight. Her occupation as a silhouette maker was mildly interesting and brought some uniqueness to the story.
As for Pearl, she is the embodiment of how joyless and eerie this book happens to be. She carries a kind of mystique and her powers are clearly shown to be genuine, but on top of everything she is just a helpless girl treated by her sister and their customers in a dehumanising manner, who wants to father’s serious illness to be cured. It is powerful, though extremely sad to read.
Myrtle is uncaring and cold-hearted, while on the face of it Simon is completely the opposite. He was the most difficult character to unlock throughout, as he seems obsessively devoted to Agnes and shows all the patience in the world, but there is always something to suggest that he could be hiding something dark. Talking of which, Agnes’ dead sister Constance is frequently mentioned and although it is clear that she was a piece of work, that aspect of the story was not developed enough.
The book is set in Bath, and eventually it does discover a feel for the city with descriptions of its distinctive architecture. As far as the atmosphere goes, you are submerged by it, such is the darkness and mood that it conjures. The places where Agnes and Pearl feel devoid of natural light, and both characters are rather sheltered from outside world, adding to the illusion. The historical period is realised well here too, with subtle comparisons between Agnes’ silhouette portraits and the relatively new art of photography.
Overall, all the stylistic marks are on point and as ever with Laura Purcell there is no doubt about the quality of the writing, but the plot fails to truly catch fire. The characters are all interesting and each one plays their part in a pleasingly unusual mystery, whereas the atmosphere envelops you from start to finish. It just needed something more to turn it into a forever memorable read.
This book was suitably eerie and had some great moments, but I was expecting something more, so mixed feelings.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Stephen Reads Books 