title: The Silent Companions: A Novel
author:  Laura Purcell 
description: If<i>The Silent Companions</i>lands on your night table, don't plan on leaving your bed anytime soon.<b>Lyndsay Faye, bestselling author of<i>Jane Steele</i></b><br /><br />A perfect read for a winter night . . . An intriguing, nuanced, and genuinely eerie slice of Victorian gothic.<br /><b><i>TheGuardian<br /></i></b><br />If<i>The Silent Companions</i>lands on your night table, dont plan on leaving your bed anytime soon. Immersive, meticulous, and reminiscent of the masters of gothic fictionnot only a compulsively readable ghost story, but a skillful, loving ode to the entire genre.<br /><b>Lyndsay Faye</b>, bestselling author of<i>Jane Steele</i><br /><br />Purcell crafts a virtually flawless work of Gothic fiction with this deeply atmospheric, foreboding story. . . . In inviting us into her eerie Gothic world, Purcell masterfully attends to every atmospheric detailfrom the dirty hems of skirts to the slanting light of dawn. Her novel is reminiscent of the work of all the greats, particularly Shirley Jackson and Daphne du Maurier, but Purcell has a style all her own. A must for all lovers of Gothic literature.<br /><b><i>Library Journal</i>(starred review)</b><br /><br />An atmospheric, eerie Victorian gothic novel . . .its combustible tale of a 19th-century woman tormented by an English country houses creepy curios does produce sparks.<br /><b><i>Publishers Weekly</i></b><br /><br />This perfect fireside read combines all the best characteristics of the gothic genre.<br /><b><i>Booklist</i></b><br /><br />Irresistibly creepy, this romps along, Purcell turning her screws with skill. Its what crumpets and dismal afternoons were made for.<br /><b><i>Glamour</i></b>(UK)<br /><br />A genuinely creepy Victorian ghost story, itll keep you up half the night reading it . . . and you wont want to turn off the light.<br /><i><b>Good Housekeeping</b> </i>(UK)<br /><br />One of the most well-written horror stories Ive read this year, <i>The Silent Companions</i> is proper Gothic fare. . . . What is commendable is how Purcell is able to weave all these [classic] elements in a story that is layered and psychologically complex till the very end.<br /><b><b></b>Book Riot</b><br /><br />The chill of <i>The Silent Companions</i>sneaks up on you and then settles in like a gray mist on a British moor . . . a shivery treat.<br /><b><b></b><i>BookPage</i></b><br /><br />Laura Purcell weaves a classic tale of gothic horror. . . . Purcell has all the finest ingredients of the gothic tradition. . . . Reminiscent of Susan Hills <i>The Woman in Black</i> and even du Mauriers <i>Rebecca</i>, <i>The Silent Companions</i> will chill readers who fall under its spell.<br /><b><b></b>Shelf Awareness</b><br /><br />Ghost storiesarehaving a revival at present, and <i>The Silent Companions</i> . . .is a worthy newcomer to the genre. . . . These silent companions . . .are one of the creepiest concepts Ive come across in a ghost story,both frightening and original. . . . The writing is strong and the concept provides a fresh twist on an old classic.<br /><b><i>The Historical Novels Review</i></b><br /><br />Layering on thedark and creepy, thisintriguingly plottednovel is the full-blownGothic, maintaining throughoutan unsettling claustrophobic atmospheremixed with some unusual historical detail.<br /><i><b>Daily Mail </b></i>(UK)<br /><br />A sinister slice of the Victorian Gothic . . . It is a measure of Laura Purcells skill...that she spins these tropes into something creepy and page-turning.<br /><b><i>The Times</i></b>(UK)<br /><br />Neatly crafted and compelling . . . a spine-tingling revelation every few pages.<br /><i><b>The Times Literary Supplement</b> </i>(UK)<br /><br />This atmospheric Gothic novel tells a deliciously creepy ghost story.<br /><b></b><i><b>Sunday Express </b></i>(UK)<br /><br />Compulsively creepy.<br /><b><i>Sunday Mirror</i> </b>(UK)<br /><br />Chilling.<br /><i><b>Sunday Post</b> </i>(UK)<br /><br />Creeptastic . . .Laura Purcell has nailed it with a story that conjures up Susan Hills <i>The Woman In Black</i>, Henry Jamess <i>The Turn Of The Screw</i> and a little bit of <i>Rebecca</i> by Daphne du Maurier.<br /><b> Emerald Street</b><br /><br />You may want to leave the light on once you put down this intensely spooky gothic chiller. . . . Irresistibly creepy.<br /><b><i>The People</i> </b>(UK)<br /><br />A superbly atmospheric, tense novel full of creeping dread.<br /><b><i>Red</i>Magazine</b>(UK)<br /><br />Really tense and unnerving. It still wont let me go.<br /><b><i>Woman &amp; Home</i> Magazine </b>(UK)<br /><br />A creepy, unsettling tale that I had to finish reading in broad daylight.<br /><b><i>Stylist</i></b>,10 must-read books for October (UK)<br /><br />A brilliant, unsettling debut. Dont read just before bedtime!<br /><b>Prima</b>(UK)<br /><br />This incredibly creepy ghost story plays out in the very best tradition against a backdrop of a crumbling house. . . . Superb.<br /><b><i>Saga</i></b>(UK)<br /><br />A delightfully creepy, unsettling gothic ghost story that will send a shiver down your spine and stay with you long after youve turned the final page. Prepare to be chilled!<br /><b><b></b>Dead Good</b><br /><br />Writing in the tradition of country house ghost stories, Laura Purcell has created a book that is unnerving and compelling in equal measure. <i>The Silent Companions</i> is an atmospheric gothic tale that chills the blood.<br /><b>Sophia Tobin</b>, bestselling author of <i>The Silversmiths Wife</i><br /><br />Magnificently creepy . . . I really wished it were longer.<br /><b>Natasha Pulley</b>, author of <i>The</i> <i>Watchmaker of Filigree Street </i><br /><br />Frighteningly atmospheric, genuinely haunting and psychologically astute, the horror of <i>The Silent Companions</i> lingers like truth in the darkest corners of the human mind.<br /><b>Helen Sedgwick</b>, author of <i>The Comet Seekers</i><br /><br />Compelling and claustrophobic. The pages all but turn by themselves.<br /><b>Essie Fox</b>, author of <i>The Last Days of Leda Grey</i><br /><br />Not since <i>The Little Stranger</i> has a book so entranced and haunted me. Compelling, bewitching and beautifully written. Read it if you dare.<br /><b>Anna Mazzola</b>, author of <i>The Unseeing</i>
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  THE SHAPE OF DARKNESS
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ALSO BY LAURA PURCELL
  
  
  [_The Silent
  Companions_](part0047.html#1CQAE0-b0154f3e528d4904a01c9a1bb4f92be1)
  
  
  [_The Corset_](part0048.html#1DOR00-b0154f3e528d4904a01c9a1bb4f92be1)
  
  
  [_Bone China_](part0049.html#1ENBI0-b0154f3e528d4904a01c9a1bb4f92be1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  _For Kevin_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00001.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * [Cover](kindle:embed:0002?mime=image/jpg)
  
  
  * [Half-Title Page](part0000.html#0-b0154f3e528d4904a01c9a1bb4f92be1)
  
  
  * [Also by Laura Purcell](part0001.html#UGI0-b0154f3e528d4904a01c9a1bb4f92be1)
  
  
  * [Dedication](part0002.html#1T140-b0154f3e528d4904a01c9a1bb4f92be1)
  
  
  * [Title Page](part0003.html#tl1)
  
  
  * [Contents](part0004.html#3Q280-b0154f3e528d4904a01c9a1bb4f92be1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 1](part0006.html#5N3C0-b0154f3e528d4904a01c9a1bb4f92be1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 2](part0007.html#6LJU0-b0154f3e528d4904a01c9a1bb4f92be1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 3](part0008.html#7K4G0-b0154f3e528d4904a01c9a1bb4f92be1)
  
  
  * [Cha