From the New York Times best-selling author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait comes a gothic, intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth.
“I found this actually unputdownable . . . Reminiscent of classic writers like Rebecca West and Daphne du Maurier.”—Ali Smith, author of Autumn
In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage-clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend’s attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital—where she has been locked away for more than sixty-one years.
Iris’s grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme’s papers prove she is Kitty’s sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme’s face.
Esme has been labeled harmless—sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But she's still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit?
“Think Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Charlotte Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ or Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea . . . It’s a breathtaking, heart-breaking creation.”—The Washington Post Book World
"I found this actually unputdownable, written with charge and energy and a kind of compelling drive, a clarity and a gripping dramatic insidiousness reminiscent of classic writers like Rebecca West and Daphne du Maurier." --Ali Smith
"Almost ridiculously pleasurable . . . shocking, heartbreaking, and fascinating." --The Times (London)
