The Silent Companions: A Novel

I count this as one of a handful of books that genuinely scared me. I read it until three in the morning because I was driven to know how it would end. After I closed the book, it took me a long time to sleep, and I wanted the lights on.The setting is 1865 in rural England at a rundown estate. Elsie Bainbridge is newly married and newly widowed. Before his fatal accident, Rupert, Elsie's husband, had planned for them to live at his ancestral home. Elsie has brought Rupert's cousin, Sarah, to live with her as a companion in her new home. Elsie is also pregnant. Her brother has come to help her settle and then plans to live part of the time at the estate and part of the time in London, where he manages a business.From the very beginning, Elsie has trepidations about the house. Some rooms are in disrepair, and the townspeople are reluctant to set foot there. Because of this, the house is understaffed, operating with just a core group of servants.Elsie explores the house with Sarah. They find to their surprise, a well-appointed nursery with dolls and a rocking horse. Most other rooms are sad and dusty. The women find life-size paintings of two children from an earlier age in the attic. Unlike framed pictures, these are propped up in the back by a stand. They are eerily life-like. The painting of the girl looks exactly like Elsie when she was a young girl.Elsie and Sarah have the housekeeper bring the pictures to display in the living rooms. Elsie regrets this decision when she finds that the paintings can move around the house independently. Their expressions change ever so slightly to more malevolent ones. The eyes move. What's more, the number of pictures multiplies. As Elsie probes further into the house's history, she learns about a mute girl who had lived two hundred years before. The girl was linked to a tragedy in the house. Elsie knows obsessing about the girl and the house is not good for her or the baby.This novel is a perfect Victorian gothic. It's well-written, atmospheric, and will keep readers on edge. I recommend this story to anyone who's looking for a good scare.

Spoiler alert:No happy ending here. When things get bad they get worse. Would be thrilled to see this as a movie; the idea of the companions is fun and creepy. I would have rated 5 stars if some loose ends were tied up a bit better. But it’s a gripping tale nonetheless and a worth a read if you like psychological thrillers. Quick read.

this is certainly an interesting book with dare i say supernatural plot points. We have art as "companions" that are seemingly alive in some way and the ending presumes a possession. It took a while for me to get in to this story. The 21st century woman in me is very appalled by how these women acted, though it is in line w their day(s). this book is told via three different timelines: 1600s, 1800s, and a present day in the 1800s. It essentially follows the Bainbridge family and their household "curse". From the present day, in an asylum, we hear the tale of how A matchmakers daughter marries a wealthy man and follows him to the big estate where he has died. The townspeople are too afraid of the place because of its sordid history of death and and a witch, which our MC disregards as ridiculous. That is, until she starts seeing art pieces moving on their own, terrorizing she and the few servants she has. Interspersed w her (Elsie) story of the recent past, we get snippets of the ancestor's (anne) diaries which essentially tells us of how the curse began and progressed. is it a curse or does it just so happen there has been 1 or 2 insane people to reside there over the years. Were they crazy before or after they moved in? Are they even crazy? Its easy to believe a suprrnatural element. This book left a lot of questions unanswered for me. It could be a fractured mind telling us everything. either way, the ending felt undone to me. We are left to wonder about quite a few plot points. The writing was well done; the writer can certainly paint pictures w her words. There's no sex or cussing for those that worry about that but there are scenes depicting death, etc for those sensitive readers to be aware of. I did enjoy this boom once I got in to it but again, I want more explanation about the companions and their roles, Hetta, Elsie's end, etc.

So so so good, I love a good Gothic novel, Purcell is really able to make you feel like you're envisioning the corsets and crinoline.. as well as experience the dark hallways of an old manor. The atmosphere is painted very well, as you imagine the old wood slat walls, hallways and rooms lit by candles and old lanterns, and when you account for the companions, and how art was portrayed in that time, you can imagine the antagonistic nature of them.