The Girl in the Photograph is a haunting and atmospheric novel that tells the tales of women in two different eras - the 1890's and 1930's - and how their lives seem to be entwined by fate. Kate Riordan's novel is a beautifully dark and beguiling tale which will sweep you away. It will appeal to fans of Kate Morton and Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca.
In the summer of 1933, Alice Eveleigh has arrived at Fiercombe Manor in disgrace. The beautiful house becomes her sanctuary, a place to hide her shame from society in the care of the housekeeper, Mrs Jelphs. But the manor also becomes a place of suspicion, one of secrecy.
Something isn't right.
Someone is watching.
There are secrets that the manor house seems determined to keep. Tragedy haunts the empty rooms and foreboding hangs heavy in the stifling heat. Traces of the previous occupant, Elizabeth Stanton, are everywhere and soon Alice discovers Elizabeth's life eerily mirrors the path she herself is on.
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[Fiercombe is a place of secrets]***
(@PenguinUKBooks, 15 January 2015, paperback, 448 pages, Around the Year in 52 Books 2019, a book with a dual timeline, bought from @AmazonUK)
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I'm a big fan of the writer Kate Morton and this reminded me a lot of her books. This is a good thing. There are echoes of some my favourite writers in this including Sarah Waters and Daphne Du Maurier. I love mysteries. I love gothic novels. I love books with dual or multiple timelines. The Girl in the Photograph ticked all the boxes for me. I loved the way the book moves back and forth between Alice's story in the 1930's and Elizabeth's in the 1890's, gradually revealing how both stories echo each other. I found Elizabeth's story sadder and more compelling and wanted to read more about her. This is slow burning book, full of vivid, rich detail and carefully developed characters, not one to rush or race through. I savoured every word.
