About the Book
After a traumatic experience with her graduate school professor, Anne Fleming disposes of all her possessions, boards a plane, and plans to check out of life. But a chance meeting on an international flight leads her to Wildfell, a gothic mansion north of London. At first glance, Wildfell seems like the perfect place to hide out, and Anne is intrigued by its strange atmosphere and history of disappearances and deaths. But echoing voices, ghostly mists, a mute girl with a sketchbook full of murders, and a possessive landlady force her to confront her deepest fears.
Anne’s budding romance with gorgeous Irish actor Bain Tierney holds her to the house. But when Wildfell tenants begin disappearing and dying, Anne must decide if she trusts Bain. Is anyone in the house who they claim to be? Or are there are other forces at work inside Wildfell? And will they ever let her leave?
Review
I’m a huge fan of Gothic literature – obviously – but I tend to avoid books with modern settings. I usually just don’t enjoy them. However, I was intrigued by this book’s description, so I gave it a try. It was surprisingly really good. It’s rare to find a good Gothic in this sort of setting, but I really enjoyed reading this and would recommend it. It has all the tropes of a Gothic – the heroine has a mysterious past, the hero is dangerous, the house is foreboding, the tone is creepy. There’s a central mystery – who are these people and what’s really going on in the house. The heroine is also sympathetic and her choices – even when they lead her to danger – are realistic. You don’t end up screaming at her for being stupid, but sympathizing with her because she’s in an impossible situation.
I look forward to seeing more from Clark in the future.