The Silent Companions

'The Silent Companions' is the ghostly tale of the troubled life of Elsie Bainbridge, a young and pregnant widow who has recently inherited her husband’s fortune, manor house and his cousin!
I disliked the way the story jumps around between three linked stories. I found it convoluted and confusing.
The titular silent companions are wooden cutouts of people that move around unexpectedly, which, as a device, I found unconvincing and faintly ridiculous.
The bodies pile up as the characters succumb to the terror of a wooden picture board, but the reader doesn't care because there isn't a single relatable character.
I did enjoy some of the description and the London settings compelling, but overall, it was not the book for me. Jenny 3/10

This gothic, creepy novel is set within 3 complex timelines.
Incarcerated in a Victorian Asylum, Elsie Bainbridge, a mute bereaved mother and widow is bring treated for severe shock, mental instability and possible criminality linked to multiple grisly deaths at her previous home, the isolated Bridge House. Haunted by sinister, mobile wooden companion statues that are linked to the 3rd timeline in the 17th century, which is intertwined with ancestors dabbling in witchcraft and deceptions.
Gothic ghost stories are 1 of my favourite genres .However, despite a good pace, inventive descriptions, and interesting themes , the authors' chaotic phrasing, abandoned plot lines and unanswered resolution frustrated me. The Woman in Black and Haunting of Hill House are far superior examples of this genre
Caroline 6/10

The Silent Companions
This creepy and intriguing story centres around Elsie, recently married and widowed, who moves
to her late husband’s crumbling country estate the Bridge.
There are 2 main timelines - 1635 following the lives of Anne Bainbridge and others living in The
Bridge at that time - 1865/6 following Elsie, her husbands cousin, Sarah and the servants living in
the Bridge and also the wooden cutout life sized figures - the silent companions.
The suspense and atmosphere was helped by alternating chapters from the 2 eras. We were
gradually given more information as Sarah read a 200 year old diary, as we saw links between the
2 eras and as Elsie (in a mental asylum) was gradually able to recover and share some of her
memories with the help of a psychiatrist.
This is not a genre that I would normally choose but I thought that it was pacy, with plenty of
action, and I was intrigued enough with the plot and characters to complete the book.
I would have liked the ending to have had more resolution as I finished up somewhat confused,
but have spent time thinking about it since and about some of the issues that were raised!
Christina 6/10