Marion Zetland lives with her domineering older brother, John in a decaying Georgian townhouse on the edge of a northern seaside resort. A timid spinster in her fifties who still sleeps with teddy bears, Marion does her best to shut out the shocking secret that John keeps in the cellar.
Until, suddenly, John has a heart attack and Marion is forced to go down to the cellar herself and face the gruesome truth that her brother has kept hidden.
As questions are asked and secrets unravel, maybe John isn’t the only one with a dark side.
My Review:
The description of this book sounded right up my alley and I was really excited to receive an early copy from the publishers.
There is no denying this is a well written and impressive debut, however for me personally it was too slow and didn’t really pick up pace until the final 25%.
This is a character driven story which is told via Marion who is a troubled and unlikable middle aged spinster living with her controlling and cruel elder brother. Personally I was unable to find any sympathy or redeeming features for Marion which perhaps hampered my overall “enjoyment” of this story.
If you like dark and uncomfortable slow burners then this may be the book for you. Unfortunately it wasn’t for me.♥
