The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

Where do I even begin with describing this book? No joke? I want to reread this NOW. I’m only stopping myself because I have the NCLEX coming up. But Lord, I am speechless. Is it wrong that I want to make out with this book?

Title: The Silent Companions
Author: Laura Purcell
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date: 6 March 2018
TW/CW: Violence, animal death, child death, miscarriage, self-harm, mental illness, medical trauma
Synopsis: When newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband’s crumbling country estate, The Bridge, what greets her is far from the life of wealth and privilege she was expecting . . .

When Elsie married handsome young heir Rupert Bainbridge, she believed she was destined for a life of luxury. But with her husband dead just weeks after their marriage, her new servants resentful, and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie has only her husband’s awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. Inside her new home lies a locked door, beyond which is a painted wooden figure —a silent companion —-that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself. The residents of The Bridge are terrified of the figure, but Elsie tries to shrug this off as simple superstition–that is, until she notices the figure’s eyes following her.

A Victorian ghost story that evokes a most unsettling kind of fear, this is a tale that creeps its way through the consciousness in ways you least expect–much like the silent companions themselves.

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The book unsettled me — in the right way, of course.

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell gave me the chills. It made the hairs on the back of my neck and on my arms stands up. My heart? I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. Do you know how good that felt?

Because it felt so good to want to hide. I felt like I was in a fog-filled with impending doom. Truthfully? I put the book down a few times because the atmosphere Purcell set was just so heavy.

Furthermore, it’s so interesting!

Sh!t. It’s been a few days now, and I still can’t get over what happened with this book. Had it not been for the fact that I only allowed myself 30 minutes of reading time a day? I would have finished this book in one sitting. Purcell hooked me and wouldn’t let me go until I discovered all of The Silent Companions‘ secrets.

But it wasn’t just the events or the mysteries that made things interesting.

I questioned truth vs. fiction.

Is our dear narrator telling the truth? Or is it her imagination? What is going on here? I couldn’t help but ask these questions throughout The Silent Companions. It didn’t help that the book opened the way it did. Actually, I’m sure Purcell did that on purpose.

Well played, Purcell.

But seriously! I spent the entire book enthralled. The mystery and events intrigued me. When I wasn’t questioning our narrator’s sanity? I tried to solve the case with our characters.

What was wrong with the house? Why were the residents so afraid of it? And what about those silent companions? What’s the story behind them, and how do they connect to the Bainbridge family?

And that ending?

Wow. I loved the ending. Honest to God, Idid not expect it at all.

Final Word

Hands down? 5 stars. The Silent Companion by Laura Purcell deserves an A+. Even if you’re not looking for a gothic horror? I HIGHLY recommend this book. It’s the perfect Halloween read, but don’t wait until then. Read it anytime you feel the need for some spooky vibes.