Purcell, Laura

This is a well-crafted Gothic tale, complete with a compulsive mystery and the visceral medical details of Emma Donoghue’s The Pull of the Stars.

In inviting us into her eerie Gothic world, Purcell masterfully attends to every atmospheric detail—from the dirty hems of skirts to the slanting light of dawn. Her novel is reminiscent of the work of all the greats, particularly Shirley Jackson and Daphne du Maurier, but Purcell has a style all her own. A must for all lovers of Gothic literature.