The Silent Companions Review

The Silent Companions – Laura Purcell – 2017 Published by Raven Publishing. 

“Newly married, newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate, The Bridge. With her new servants resentful and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie only has her husband's awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks”

You must know the power of a book when it sends you running to re-start your blog that you long left for dead. The silent companions was met by such rapturous praise and I can see why. Not only does the story hark back to those dark Gothic tales that the Victorians reveled in but it's also deep and layered. It peels back layer after layer and leaves you guessing.

The story it's self is dark on all levels. We cross time periods and we go into Elsie's past, all which are dark, sad and brought to life with the beautiful and easy to read and understand words of Laura Purcell. As I sate in my YouTube video I am not against old English, hard to read and long draw out words, if the story is good it can be worth it to work for it but I appreciate when I can read a modern tongue. Laura does a wonderful job of mixing the time period and the language.

I find it hard to read a book that can unsettle me, I think the last book that did that was The Omen and I read that a long time ago. This book has given me hope that I can find books that build tension, leave you feeling a little uncomfortable and staying up late just to try and get in another few pages.

All of the characters are well drawn, they breath and they live. Every single one. Which is something I love about a good book. Give me 'real' people who are real, can feel and are scared and I am sold. Put these characters in a dark and dilapidated old country home and I'm home. A dash of Wicker man style villagers and I am truly in my element.

The story pays off in a big way and if you were astute along the way you can only smile at the ending and nod your head in agreement. Yes of course.

If you like creepiness, the uncanny and things that go hiss in the night then this is the book for you. Draw the curtains, light the lamp and sit back and enjoy your very own Silent Companions.