Death and the Seaside

First published in the UK in 2016, this latest from Moore (The Lighthouse; The Pre-War House and Other Stories) was worth the wait. The novel begins with a short story by main character Bonnie, a 30-year-old graduate school dropout, who we soon learn cannot complete anything—school, her stories, or what’s needed to achieve success in the workplace. Her parents force her to leave home and find her own flat with the hope that she’ll take things in hand. Instead, she juggles two part-time cleaning jobs, smokes cigarettes, and tries to write. When her landlady, Sylvia Slythe, befriends her, the plot takes a twisted turn. As with earlier masters of the genre such as Daphne du Maurier, Moore creates a psychological thriller dripping with foreboding, and in keeping with her previous work, pays great attention to sense of place. Bonnie’s flat becomes a character in the novel, particularly when she finds “stuff” previous tenants left behind. The seaside town Bonnie and Sylvia visit turns out not to be the promised ideal vacation.