First published 2006
Reclusive author Vida Winter is finally ready to reveal the truth about her violent, tragic past. She summons young biographer Margaret Lea to hear her gothic tale of sisters Isabelle, Adeline, and Emmeline—a ghost, a governess, and a devastating fire. As Vida disinters her life, Margaret finds herself drawn into the mystery, forced to confront the ghosts that have haunted them both. In the end, both women are transformed by the power of Vida's story.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, gothic
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century
416 pages · Hardcover · Orion