In my humble opinion, anyone who is writing gothic horror in this contemporary age is doing the Lord’s work. There are moments I worry that the gothic may go out of fashion, but then I remember that in every generation there are a bunch of teen girls who discover books like Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and get hell bent on reviving the gothic and keeping it alive (or undead if you will). There are lots of exciting and interesting contemporary entries into the canon that deserve all kinds of praise and attention. Laura Purcell is one of the modern purveyors of gothic prose, and her novel The Silent Companions will be burned into your memory and chill you long after you’ve finished it. If you’ve been looking for something newer to slake your lust for du Maurier-esque novels, then this is the author and book for you.
The Silent Companions begins simply and sadly enough. Elisabeth “Elsie” Bainbridge is newly married and newly widowed, and to make matters ever more complicated, she is also newly pregnant. Her younger brother is shipping her off to her late husband’s ancestral family estate in the English countryside to wait out her pregnancy and evade scandal. See, Elsie’s husband, Rupert, died not long after changing his will to include her and the baby, so people are naturally suspicious about the death. Elsie, on the other hand, is devastated by her husband’s death. Their short marriage had been a safe haven for her, and she is left reeling at the thought of raising their child alone and living without him. To make Elsie’s matters worse, the Bainbridge estate—nicknamed The Bridge—is horridly dreary and apparently haunted. Strange noises and odd events abound, leading to the discovery of a peculiar painting, a wooden standee made to look like a real person. These standees are called “silent companions,” and they are hardly friendly.
Familial drama meets ghost story meets pure Victorian nightmare collides to create The Silent Companions. Purcell weaves a terrifying tale that proves gothic horror can be downright frightening and sometimes even a little gory and grotesque. This is the sort of book that makes the reader feel such a brilliant sense of unease that it’s difficult to stop reading. Compellingly imperfect characters mix with intensely wrought atmosphere. In many ways, this novel is like a fine tuned machine, all the parts working together smashingly. It’s always nice to pick up a book where all the elements that make the gothic such a captivating genre are fully on display.
It’s difficult to figure out how much I can divulge about The Silent Companions because, like the best macabre mysteries, it’s best to go in with little knowledge, though I would suggest checking trigger warnings because the content of the novel can be amazingly heavy. The twists and turns are captivating and some are wholly unique, some glorious demon spawn of Purcell’s creative nightmares. Go forth knowing as little as you possibly can because this is the kind of novel that rewards you when you go in knowing next to nothing. While the plot isn’t something I can talk about because I want you all to go into this novel unspoiled, I can discuss just how heartwrenching Elsie is.
Purcell creates a believably protagonist that isn’t exactly the most lovable at times but the readers do come to understand her completely. Elsie is troubled, but she is compelling. This is a woman who has spent most of her life in survival mode and being thrown in the midst of a supernatural manor hellscape makes her realistically frenzied. Even as the happenings in the story become more and more bombastic, Elsie remains an emotional sticking point for the reader, centering the story in an extremely terrifying and devastatingly human territory. Elsie is exquisitely flawed yet endearing.
The amount of horror this novel evokes is astonishing. It vacillates between the ever present dread to full blown blood-curdling eeriness that demands to be read. It’s the gothic done right and shows that the genre can often be scarier than other subgenres of horror. There is nothing like the violently engrossing creeping apprehension that gothic horror creates in a person, and Purcell has perfected this deliciously evil writing talent. To say this novel is distressing and severe in parts is an understatement. A few times, I sat slack jawed at the plot, feeling thoroughly chilled, and already making the mental note to buy the rest of Purcell’s gothic horror novels. They are currently being shipped as I type this.
If you like gothic that is a little more bitter than sweet and is a fresh twist on some old tropes from the subgenre, then give The Silent Companions a chance. I seldom see this book discussed much among genre aficionados, and I need that to change. Purcell is doing gothic horror in a big beautiful way that will capture the attention of newcomers to the genre and us old jaded veterans that crave new blood. Add The Silent Companions to your ever growing TBR pile and be rewarded with some top tier contemporary gothic goodness. This would pair well with a glass of sweet red wine and maybe a rewatch of CRIMSON PEAK—as long as you’re prepared to be more afraid of wood than you ever have in your life.
Tags: Books, Columns, Horror, Laura Purcell
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