The Silent Companions: A Novel
“[An] extraordinary, memorable and truly haunting book.” —Jojo Moyes, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Laura Purcell's THE SHAPE OF DARKNESS is now out from Penguin!
Some doors are locked for a reason.
When Elsie married handsome young heir Rupert Bainbridge, she believed she was destined for a life of luxury. But pregnant and widowed just weeks after their wedding, with her new servants resentful and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie has only her late husband’s awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. Inside her new home lies a locked door, beyond which is a painted wooden figure—a silent companion—that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself. The residents of the estate are terrified of the figure, but Elsie tries to shrug this off as simple superstition—that is, until she notices the figure’s eyes following her.
A Victorian ghost story that evokes a most unsettling kind of fear, The Silent Companions is a tale that creeps its way through the consciousness in ways you least expect—much like the companions themselves.
Laura Purcell's THE SHAPE OF DARKNESS is now out from Penguin!
Some doors are locked for a reason.
When Elsie married handsome young heir Rupert Bainbridge, she believed she was destined for a life of luxury. But pregnant and widowed just weeks after their wedding, with her new servants resentful and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie has only her late husband’s awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. Inside her new home lies a locked door, beyond which is a painted wooden figure—a silent companion—that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself. The residents of the estate are terrified of the figure, but Elsie tries to shrug this off as simple superstition—that is, until she notices the figure’s eyes following her.
A Victorian ghost story that evokes a most unsettling kind of fear, The Silent Companions is a tale that creeps its way through the consciousness in ways you least expect—much like the companions themselves.
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Community Reviews
I loved the spooky Victorian Gothic vibe and the multiple narrators/storylines, but the ending didn't live up to my expectations at all. It just felt a little flat in comparison to the suspense built up over the story. The companions had the potential to be Stone Angel level spooky and I found after are actual things!!
This was a creepy as hell ride! 🙌 Gave me the heebie jeebies a few times with the companions! 👀
It did start out a bit slow, so hang in there because it definitely pays off with the creep factor! The ending left me with mixed feelings, as I kind of hoped it would have went in a different direction than it did. But still, an excellent read!! 👏
Can’t wait to read the other books on my TBR by Laura Purcell! ❤️
This was so good that I actually did an audible GASP at the end.
This was perfectly creepy and atmospheric. The timeline bounces around between an insane asylum, a creepy, dingy estate in the middle of nowhere, and a diary that recounts royalty, witchcraft, and gypsies. What a delicious recipe that was handled with near perfection.
You are left guessing the whole way through if the silent companions (realistic looking wooden figurines that I will not be looking up to learn more about) have truly "come to life" or if Elsie is truly unstable and has lost her marbles.
It came to her in snatches of Sunday-school memory: King Saul, desperate for the advise of his prophet Samuel, begging the woman to resurrect him. Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?
The disturbing recollection was, she had done it. The thing had been possible.
Where do I find more books just like this?
5 Stars
This was perfectly creepy and atmospheric. The timeline bounces around between an insane asylum, a creepy, dingy estate in the middle of nowhere, and a diary that recounts royalty, witchcraft, and gypsies. What a delicious recipe that was handled with near perfection.
You are left guessing the whole way through if the silent companions (realistic looking wooden figurines that I will not be looking up to learn more about) have truly "come to life" or if Elsie is truly unstable and has lost her marbles.
It came to her in snatches of Sunday-school memory: King Saul, desperate for the advise of his prophet Samuel, begging the woman to resurrect him. Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?
The disturbing recollection was, she had done it. The thing had been possible.
Where do I find more books just like this?
5 Stars
Two thirds of the way into this book my predominant thought was "Dear God, please make it stop!". This book could have been great - I love a spooky tale, but you have to stretch your disbelief to the extreme to belive that at no point do the protagonists think "Perhaps now's the time to get the hell out of Dodge?". The Silent Companions rapidly go from creepy to flat out farcical - and it says a lot that by the end of the book, most of our book club were laughing our asses off rather than quake in terror. I'm afraid when one character was killed by the deer antlers falling on her, `i lost it completely and at that point, I couldn't continue!
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