THE SILENT COMPANIONS

THE SILENT COMPANIONS by Laura Purcell, reads like THE WOMAN IN BLACK meets THE OTHERS. Set in Victorian England, it follows Elsie, the most notorious patient in St. Joseph's asylum, as she recounts the events that led to her incarceration. Will Elsie confront her demons and face what really happened to her or is the truth too terrifying to accept?

Elsie is newly widowed, sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's derelict country estate, The Bridge. She struggles to cope with her new position and the hatred of the superstitious local villagers, who believe the Bainbridge family ancestors dabbled in witchcraft. The accidental discovery of a two-hundred-year-old diary sets off a series of strange events that leave Elsie wondering what secrets her deceased husband's family really were hiding. And why did they own so many unsettling, painted wooden figures?

As Elsie recounts the slow encroachment of the silent companions, figures she believes to have been possessed, she experiences a wave of unwelcome memories. But which of these memories can she trust? For those around her believe a story very different to the one she is writing a story of just what Elsie did to end up where she is.

Will Elsie confront her demons and face what really happened to her or is the truth too terrifying to accept?

Inspired by the writing of Shirley Jackson and Susan Hill, this is a story which much like the silent companions themselves creeps its way through the consciousness. It will appeal to fans of THE QUICK by Lauren Owen, along with viewers of films like CRIMSON PEAK and the TV series PENNY DREADFUL.

Laura Purcell works in local government and has had two historical fiction novels published by Myrmidon. Her next novel will be another supernatural Victorian novel, THE CORSET.