The Silent House by Laura Elliot
(previously titled "The Tinderbox")
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 29th November 2020
Published: 1st December 2020
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
In the small hours of a cold winter morning, charcoal grey clouds gather in the sky over Hyland Hall where a young teenage girl is about to make an emergency call to say her life is in danger …
With her marriage in pieces and desperate to find work and a new home for her and daughters, Isobel and Julie, Sophy accepts a job as a live-in nurse for Jack Hyland.
Once a magnificent house, Hyland Hall has fallen into disrepair and its owner, Jack, disfigured in a terrible fire that broke out on the property years ago, is now a recluse.
As Sophy’s daughters struggle to adjust to their new surroundings, exploring every forbidden corner of the house, Sophy does her best to care for Jack and her broken family.
But Jack has secrets of his own and Sophy’s arrival is about to set in motion a chain of events that will uncover the devastating truth of Hyland Hall’s past. A truth that will put her daughters in harm’s way.
An intense and emotionally engrossing read that will keep you compulsively turning the pages late into the night. If you read one book this year, make it The Silent House (previously titled "The Tinderbox").
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Laura Elliot's latest creepy thriller THE SILENT HOUSE.
My second read by Laura Elliot, THE SILENT HOUSE was different from the previous one I had read - "The Thorn Girl" - whilst at the same time having that similar sense of eeriness. The atmospheric setting and character building created a spooky tale surrounding the crumbling Hyland Hall in this modern day gothic thriller.
The story begins with a radio broadcast of a teenage girl being held at gunpoint in an unknown location, having called 999 before the call is abruptly cut-off. No further details of the incident are available but like all good media sources they continue to create a sense of panic to keep their listeners engaged.
It then changes pace as the story goes back two months prior where we meet Sophy whose marriage to Luke has recently fallen apart due to his gambling problem. Sophy has had to sell her business "Kid Chic" which she began with her mother-in-law Maddie (now deceased) to pay some of Luke's debts. Whilst he is bundled off to a rehab centre called Oasis of Hope (whose name sounds more like a cult), Sophy is left to deal with the sale of the home and the fallout of her marriage. When a prospective buyer comes to view the house, Sophy receives an offer that seems to be the answer to her immediate problem of possible homelessness.
Desperate for a fresh start, she accepts a job at Hyland Hall as a live-in nurse for its reclusive owner Jack Hyland, who was severely burnt in a fire that destroyed the stables on his estate. As Sophy and her daughters enter the gothic mansion, they are surrounded by its horrible disrepair which gives it a spooky air of creepiness. The girls - Isobel and Julie - immediately begin to imagine vampires and werewolves lurking in the shadows of the vast halls whilst begging their mother to leave.
Then enter Jack's nephew Victor. He is as surprised by Sophy's presence in Hyland Hall as she is by his appearance. As his only surviving relative, Victor insists that Jack isn't returning to the Hall but rather is entering a nursing home which can better cater to his needs. When Sophy tells him that she has been employed as his live-in nurse, Victor's response is to say his uncle is in no state to make such decisions and the fire has also left him somewhat delusional. However, Sophy produces a contract that was drawn up by Jack's solicitors engaging her as his nurse to care for him for the period of at least twelve months. Victor can do nothing but concede her contract is binding and soon accepts the situation.
When Jack is released from hospital and returns to Hyland Hall, the girls are given strict instructions never to venture upstairs as Mr Hyland is intensely private and will only permit a handful of people to see his disfigured features. This, of course, earns him the moniker "The Reclusive One" and his rooms upstairs as "Fear Zone" as the girls imagine all sorts in the forbidden area on the upper floor. They are also convinced his German Shepherd Caesar is a werewolf, salivating at the prospect of two girls to sink his fangs into. These thoughts alone are enough to keep the two girls away from the old man they are sure is the undead and his formidable four-legged beast. Whilst Isobel tentatively braves her fears in her spirited way, her younger sister Julie channels hers through a shop mannequin she takes everywhere named Cordelia, her high-pitched squeaky voice grating on Isobel's nerves as much as the reader's.
The first half of the book had all the elements of a modern day gothic horror story: from the creepy mansion in the woods, the disfigured decrepit undead owner, sprawling crumbling estate in disrepair, a haunted past, a love story gone wrong, new tenants in search of a fresh start, a salivating werewolf dog, a talking mannequin with a squeaky voice, things that go bump in the night... It was very gothic.
But then the second half changed course and the events that unfold become something of a fast paced thriller involving Jack's mysterious past and that of his family, including a twin brother Laurence. Sophy is caught in the middle of Jack and his nephew Victor...and to make matters worse, her estranged husband Luke turns up. And just as Sophy was putting her life, and that of her daughters, back together again.
But some things are too good to be true. Jack, it seems, has a hidden agenda. He has a secret that has the potential to put her entire family in danger.
Captivating and all-consuming, THE SILENT HOUSE is told through the eyes of Sophy and Isobel and is reminiscent of V.C. Andrews with all the twisted creepiness of a Ruth Ware thriller. I was reminded of both as I devoured this atmospheric tale. The radio broadcasts were picked up again from about halfway through bringing the reader back to the reality of a crime thriller though an element of creepiness remained.
I figured out the twist pretty early on which was confirmed as excerpts from Jack's memoir began but it never deterred me from enjoying of watching it all unravel. I guess in this sense I found it to be fairly predictable but whether that was just me, I'm not sure. I still thoroughly enjoyed it though.
A page-turning atmospheric thriller with twists and reveals, THE SILENT HOUSE is an addictive read that will appeal to both fans of spooky reads and psychological thrillers.
I would like to thank #LauraElliot, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheSilentHouse in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Laura Elliot is an Irish novelist who writes psychological thrillers and lives in Dublin, Ireland. Her novels are: The Thorn Girl, The Wife Before Me, Guilty, Sleep Sister, The Betrayal, Fragile Lies, Stolen Child and The Prodigal Sister. Her latest novel,
The Tinderbox is due for release in December 2020. AKA June Considine, she had written twelve books for children and young adults. She has worked as a journalist and magazine editor.
Social Media Links:
Dear Christina
ReplyDeleteIt was such a pleasure to feature on your Confessions of a Bookaholic blog. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your detailed and thoughtful review on my latest novel, The Silent House. I'm delighted you enjoyed the book and thank you for taking the time to write about it.
Warmest regards
Laura Elliot
AKA June