The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

Little Miss Hiss

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell is a classically gothic neo-Victorian thriller, in which recently widowed Elsie is forced to reside in her late husband's moldering family home with his cousin.  The house is filled with mysterious locked doors and sinister hissings in the night.

Story  ☆★★★★

Those who read my blog or follow me on Twitter (@VickySBrewster if you don't already) will know I have a bit of a soft spot for creaking, potentially-haunted houses.  You might think after a couple of them I'd get bored, but it doesn't seem to happen.  The Bridge has everything a haunted house lover might want: a locked tower, skeletons in the garden, mysterious family diaries and spooked servants.  

More than this, though, are the Companions themselves.  These are cut-out, wooden figures painted to be life-like and uncanny.  Once one has been welcomed into the house, more appear and there seems to be no getting away from them.

The story is written by Elsie Bainbridge from her solitary cell in a mental asylum, where she awaits trial for murder.  She is encouraged by her psychiatrist, as she cannot speak, to write her story so he can speak for her at the trial.  What follows is a three-tiered narrative: Elsie in the cell, Elsie's story of what happened at The Bridge, and 17th century ancestor Anne Bainbridge's diary, which reveals the origin of the companions.

The Silent Companions offers lots of twists and turns.  The question of whether or not the supernatural events are all in our narrator's head will be familiar to fans of the gothic, but Purcell pulls it off very nicely.  By the end, the reader is more or less with Elsie, but there is a final serving to make one question further.  I had seen this little moment coming, and felt very pleased with myself -- I do love spotting a plot twist.  

Style  ☆★★★★

The styles in the three different voices are nicely done.  We might all be used to Victorian gothic, but it was a joy to see it go back into Stuart times.  The language was just right, and there were enough little details that are usually missing from other works that made this quasi-historian smile.  In particular, the reference to women having been omitted from funerals gave me a little thrill of accuracy joy.

The book is well paced and has plenty to interest the reader all the way through.  I went through it quite quickly, and it was a delight to read after the rather heavy book that preceded it.  

Substance  ☆★★★★

The Silent Companions is full of little prejudices that add together to make a highly paranoid atmosphere.  The local village of Fayford fears The Bridge because of its aura of death and witchcraft, in Elsie's day.  And in Anne's, the village are Protestants and Republicans who resent the Royalist and potentially occult almost-nobles.  Elsie's housekeeper resents the interloping widow, and Elsie herself looks down on almost everyone.  In many respects, she isolates herself, despite her repeated worry that she trusts others just so they betray her.  The irony being that it's just such a snobbery that may or may not seal her final downfall.

It would be remiss not to mention the beautiful presentation of The Silent Companions.  Raven Books have really outdone themselves with the UK cover, pictured above: stylised and filigreed, reflecting the black of mourning.  The creepy eye that peers through the keyhole, tellingly, is that of a portrait, not a person.

The Verdict  ☆★★★★

Laura Purcell has many chills to run along your spine, and many secrets to drip-feed from her story.    Her characters are scarred, literally and figuratively, and while none of them are especially likable, the reader is still sure to root for the animate over the inanimate.  The perfect pacing and variety that makes up this book makes it an absolute pleasure to read.  Try it in one sitting, if you can!

I'm delighted to say that I will be meeting Laura Purcell at Edge Lit 7 in Derby in a few weeks.  Watch out for a review of the event in July.