Where Ivy Dares To Grow

DEBUT Thompson’s debut novel contains all the hallmarks of a classic gothic tale. Suffering from mental illness, Saoirse Read pauses her doctoral program to visit Langdon Hall, the ancestral home of her fiancé, Jack Page. The visit is a fraught one: her future mother-in-law is terminally ill, and the love between Saoirse and Jack has long since grown cold. Saoirse, feeling unwelcome and alone, turns to Langdon Hall’s winding hallways and gardens. During her walks she accidentally time-travels back to 1818, where she meets Theo Page, a man similar to but not quite like Jack. Between Saoirse and this mysterious lonely man sparks fly and soon become a passionate forbidden romance. There is also an eerie old house full of secrets. The story’s very end includes one final twist that will give readers much to think about.