Laura Purcell

Originally published: London: Raven Books, 2017.

The Silent Companions

Ryan Mateyk

Sufficiently creepy and atmospheric, but a bit of a let down at the end. Also, never trust Jim Broadbent.

Sandrin

the story was solid and well-written but i kinda predicted the ending, which spoiled it for me, but either way, it was extremely creepy and disturbing with very vivid descriptions.

As featured on the Radio 2 Book Club. Curl up with gothic chiller The Silent Companions this winter, and send a shiver down your spine...Newly married, newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate, The Bridge.With her new servants resentful and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie only has her husband's awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. For inside her new home lies a locked room, and beyond that door lies a two-hundred-year-old diary and a deeply unsettling painted wooden figure - a Silent Companion - that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself...

“There was something wrong about The Bridge. In London, she had learnt to scoff at her fear as nonsense, but now she was back she could feel it, creeping, slithering. Something dark and insidious, all the way down to the roots of the plants that grew in the garden.”
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A few years ago, I went on a trip with my best friend to Scotland. And while we were there, we decided to explore the towns close to the Highlands for a little bit. As we set off exploring the small village where our ferry dropped us off, the borders of the small town quickly receded into a bit of wilder fields. We gleefully kept going, exploring a small garden (or perhaps a field) that seemed dried up. And in the middle of that garden? A weather-beaten wooden figure of a nun, half painting, half sculpture, holding a bunch of keys and staring at the entrance. Of course we were immediately in love and highly creeped out, and left (thankfully with no incidences at all) giggling about how cool that was.

I forgot about that encounter until I started reading this book, and then it all came back, making this book 100 times creepier. Silent companions? I guess they actually exist.

That being said, this story really comes alive in its own right, interweaving the lives of women living in the same house a few centuries apart, being haunted by these figures as much as their roles in society. Everything was so beautifully atmospheric and irresistibly creepy in all its gothic glory, tensions building up little by little without any relief. This spooky story will be stuck in the dark corners of my mind for a long time to come for sure.

Super creepy. Another "there's something wrong with this house" ghost story but it was completely thrilling to the end.

Katelyn Caillouet

Laura Mauler

(view spoiler)[I felt like some stuff was left rather vague, like why Hetta went after servants and why she started up after 200 years of silence. I guess a demon is gonna demon? Also, regarding whether or not Sarah existed, why didn't they ask the butler, or Peter the carriage driver, both of whom saw her and were not killed. Anyway, for all that it was an exciting and fun book. (hide spoiler)]

Colleen

2.5 Stars
 
This book was right on the border between good and boring, and I really teetered back and forth about which way to round my rating. But in the end, my overall impression of this book just didn’t cut it.
 
The Silent Companions is a Gothic Horror story with a historical setting. The story opens with an unnamed patient in a mental hospital and a doctor trying to coax her story from her. From there the story flashes back to 1865 where a young woman named Elsie has recently been left widowed and pregnant and exiled to her late husband’s crumbling country estate in England. Elsie finds a painted wooden figurine that looks eerie like her, and then strange things begin happening around the house.
 
In terms of what the story did well, the eerie, haunted atmosphere was excellent. I might even say chilling. It had something of an air like The Turn of the Screw where you don’t know where there really is a haunting or if the person is just going insane.
 
There were two main problems preventing me from enjoying The Silent Companions. The first was that I didn’t like the characters. Elsie could have been a more compelling character. She had a mysterious past, and she sat in the awkward social position of marrying above her station and therefore being rejected both by her former circle and the one she married into. But I strongly disliked Elsie’s character. She was either being irritating or displaying a dull lack of emotions. And since I truly had no interest in whether or not she survived her ordeal, it made it hard to become invested in the story at all. As for the rest of the characters, none of them were fleshed out much. There was only one character that I liked throughout most of the book, but that ended when that person went a direction that felt inorganic to the previous character development.
 
The other problem was the nonchronological story line. The story skips back and forth between 1865 and some unspecified date in the future. After a while, a diary from 1635 was added in. The 1635 section was the worst because it didn’t feel remotely authentic to the time period nor did it sound anything like a diary. The nonchronological timeline also took most of the suspense out of the story. You know early one how everything ends up; you just don’t know the nitty gritty of what led to that. But for me, the lack of suspense combined with my disinterest in the characters meant that this story simply did not hold my interest. That’s why it took me so long to read such a sort book. Also, the chapters are labeled only by their location and date. I lost my place at one point and had a devil of a time relocating it because all of the sections have the same three headings!
 
I still wouldn’t call this a bad book, but it wasn’t to my taste. Although, I think there is enough potential there that I might consider trying something else from Purcell in the future.
 

RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 2 Stars
Level of Captivation: 2 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Rebecca Raven

A brilliant book that combines the prison flash backs of Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace, The Miniaturists sense of black magic and the terrifying nature of the angels from Doctor Who. I plan on reading every single thing that Laura Purcell writes from now on.

Heather Miller

I thought this was an equally chilling and thrilling historical gothic horror novel. It kept me guessing and turning the pages! I did not want to put it down!

This story begins with Elsie Bainbridge, a mute patient that was badly burned in a fire, being questioned by Dr. Shepherd, the only doctor in the facility that is wiling to work with, learn, and believe her side of the story. She spends half of the story in the present writing down what happened during her stay at the haunted mansion in order to bring back her memory, and the other half in the past as her story is being recollected.

After the death of her husband, Elsie starts her new life as a widow in her husbands old, forgotten family mansion with Sarah, her late husband’s cousin. It is nothing like her life in London, and the community is very wary of her and the home. She soon learns of the many deaths that plague the mansions grounds, and it isn’t long before bone-chilling events start to occur. Elsie begins questioning her own sanity as the people around her get more and more concerned about her mental health. It progresses fast and before you know it you’re almost near the end and still guessing what comes next!

There is not much I can say in order to not give away spoilers. There are constant twists and turns and had me guessing right to the very last page, where is huge twist is revealed. Laura Purcell is clearly a fantastic writer and storyteller, and I will definitely be purchasing her other books. If you are looking for a ghostly thriller that CONSTANTLY keeps you on your toes, this is the one for you! I HIGHLY recommend this read, and give it an easy five stars!

Siya S

Boring. Not in a bland, uncreative sense, but more like boring as in forgettable, like one of those books that you enjoy but instantly move on from the whole thing as soon as you finish reading them. 

The thing is, the story failed to creep me out simply because I do not find the whole 'silent companion' business is that creepy (and I creep out so easily, so that's something). I find them a little bit too... comical. Couldn't take them seriously throughout the story even though the book itself was very well written. I mean, a haunted cutout didn't really work for me, guys. It felt like an elaborated Gothic joke at best.

Sian

Its more a 2.5 than a 2 but rounding up seemed a bit much. It's an alright book, a fine Gothic novel, but it doesn't really get much beyond that. The characters aren't likable or infact very deeply written and my favourite part of the book were the diary entries. It's suspenseful just enough to want to turn the page but not enough to stay up all night reading it. But after all of it I'm left feeling a bit unsatisfied.

As featured on the Radio 2 Book Club. Some doors are locked for a reason...Newly married, newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate, The Bridge.With her new servants resentful and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie only has her husband's awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. For inside her new home lies a locked room, and beyond that door lies a two-hundred-year-old diary and a deeply unsettling painted wooden figure - a Silent Companion - that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself...

Janice Hopper

I found this book through one of the folks I follow on Twitter. 

It's not BAD. It's pretty competently written, and some elements were pretty creepy. But I'm not crazy about unreliable narrators, and I thought some of the plot elements were pretty predictable.

But it had its creepy moments.

Sonja H

Die Geschichte beginnt in einem Krankenhaus, in dem die Protagonistin, die nicht in der Lage ist, ihre Stimme zu gebrauchen, aufschreiben soll, was ihr widerfahren ist. Schon diese Tatsache allein schickte mir eine Gänsehaut über den Rücken, denn diese Situation ist bedrückend.

Doch richtig gruselig wird es, als wir zurück gehen in Elsies Vergangenheit. Es beginnt recht harmlos mit einem alten, fast leerstehendem Haus und Gerüchten, die die Dorfbewohner davon abhalten, sich dem Anwesen zu nähern. Zunächst dachte ich „ok, alles schon mal dagewesen, alles schon mal gelesen“. Doch dann kommt es zur Begegnung mit den ersten „silent companions“, den stillen Begleitern.

Auch deren Story wirkt anfangs zwar etwas „creepy“, aber nicht gefährlich. Anfangs…

Ich möchte an dieser Stelle nicht zu viel verraten, ich kann nur sagen, dass ich mich selten so beim Lesen gegruselt habe wie bei diesem Buch!

Mit „The Silent Companions“ ist Laura Purcell ein großartiger Geisterroman gelungen, der sich sehr gut als passende Lektüre für eine neblige Halloweennacht eignet.

Can’t say it was written incredibly well but it really did creep me out 

jillian tenner

Anna Campbell

** spoiler alert **
           A very intriguing read! I haven’t read many horror books before, so this was very interesting. I loved the writing style from the first page. I found the pace slow, and there were questions left unanswered. Was Jolyon actually Elsie’s son, with her father? How did her father abuse her? Was she crazy? Was Sarah good all along, and was only overtaken by the evil spirit of Hetta at the very end? So many questions, but a good book! I’m surprised it’s not a movie.

Kelsey

An amazing book! It gripped me after a few chapters but the gothic theme and all the twists and turns made the book amazing! I loved how you were guided through three different timeframes. That added a great edge to the book

Brittney Joy

Read for our book club. Pretty good, very creepy vibe. I was a little disappointed in the ending, and the details of the various deaths/injuries were more gruesome than I enjoy, but I realize that's purely a matter of preference, as I don't generally enjoy horror. If you like horror, you'll like this.

Sierra Salman

Why isn't this a movie yet. Creepy suspenseful. Literally it made me gasp out loud a couple of times which is difficult to do. Must read for anyone who likes historical supernatural.

Amy Maddess

I kept waiting and waiting for more and when I got to the end, my only thought was ‘that’s it?’. I need to get better at following my instincts when DNF-ing books.

Tatiana Alvarez 

This book took me by surprise - I did not expect to like it as much as I did because it is definitely a book I would not normally pick up and read. I'm so very glad that I did, though!

Synopsis
Elsie Bainbridge should be celebrating her marriage and her first pregnancy, however, she has just become a window. Her husband, Rupert, has died unexpectedly in his sleep after visiting The Bridge. Knowing what the gossip busybodies of London will think, Elsie's sister Jolycon suggests that Elsie takes up residents at the bridge until things settle down.

The Bridge is not what she expects, having been in the Bainbridge family for centuries, the estate is large but run down with little staff to maintain it. Elsie knows no one but Sarah, the cousin of Rupert. Elsie and Sarah soon stumble upon a locked door that they eventually gain access too, only to find dolls known as companions and a few diaries from Anne Bainbridge, an ancestor of Sarah and Rupert. 

The diaries tell an interesting story about the companions and the more the women find out, the worst things become at The Bridge. One by one, residents of the Bridge fall and Elsie needs to get out before she becomes a causality too.

 Things I liked: 
-This is just a fun ghost story and such a great read for October!
- I loved the three different time lines; I absolutely love it when authors provide different perspectives and have me try to guess what happens.
- The cast of characters were fabulous.
- Anne was my favorite character and I liked reading her portions the most.
- Genuinely creepy, which made the read that much more fun!

 Things I didn't liked: 
-I wanted something more to happen with the companions, granted I'm not sure what. Maybe more of a backstory or more of a purpose. It was just missing something.
- The ending was good, just expected! Still really enjoyed it though.

Maribel González

No tengo palabras. Me ha gustado muchísimo y no podía parar de leer. El mal rollo ha sido real. Creo que entra directo al top de mejores lectura del año y no, no es pronto para decirlo.

Jordan Robinson

Adrianna Giunta

I love Laura Purcell's books so much! This was absolutely brilliant. She really knows how to create unsettling feelings and build up a sense of dread. I really love gothic horror/thrillers so this book was right up my street. Add in creepy kids, possessed dolls and a massive old house and you've got me hooked. I loved seeing both the "present" (as in the time period of the books setting) and the past as the story came together. Loved it!

Anastaciya

Oh, whaaat.... I'm a bit disappointed. I wanted more background info about the wooden figures. I love ghost stories and spooky stuff, but this... the story had tension and mystery, and the plot is all twisted, but feels so incomplete. Like, where did the companions come from? How, why? Did Henrietta "conjure" them herself somehow? Why was the shop keeper scared of them and so eager to get rid of them? Feels like I missed something :/ pity, i enjoyed almost everything else about the story.

Mousumee

Rating: 3.5

Here is the review of my much-loved and well-thumbed copy of Laura Purcell's atmospheric chiller, The Silent Companions 

This book is one of those perfect rainy, gloomy day reads that beckons you to finish lunch or whatever else that you are doing and get back to it at once. 

The grip that this book exerts is slow and builds over time. If you prefer books that start with a hook and tighten the screw from the get go, you might not like this. However, give it a chance to grow on you and this gothic chiller will creep its way up. This isn't a masterpiece or even my favourite in this genre but there is something about the haunting melancholy of this story that will want you to turn it's pages till the very end.

The Silent Companions

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