AG Slatter’s The Cold House is a novella about the hauntings of grief, lies and secrets, and one woman’s journey to survive them. Slatter covers a lot of ground in such a short book, comprising solving an ancient and terrible mystery bound inside a sinister gothic mansion; a strange little ghost; a bizarre church with a huge hole inside it; and a dead husband who kept as many dark secrets as our gritty protagonist.
Everly Bainbridge is living through the aftermath of suddenly losing her husband and young daughter in a fiery car crash, when she learns that her husband was not who she thought he was. Richer than she could ever have imagined and unable to bear staying in her empty home, she goes to an isolated house on a small island to grieve, write and, hopefully, heal. But from her arrival at Morningthorpe Manor things aren’t what they seem. The house is unnaturally cold, and one night she wakes standing over the black well in the house’s cellar, her daughter’s voice ringing in her ears. What’s more, Everly has secrets of her own, manifesting as a small ghost who begins to appear as the situation in the house becomes stranger.
Twisty, mysterious, thrilling and dark, the writing is pacy and never boring, keeping readers on the edge of their seat as secrets are uncovered. Slatter’s The Cold House is another unputdownable story with a heroine who walks a tightrope between good and bad, who vibrates with rage at the universe and everything it has thrown at her.
Perfect for lovers of gothic stories, magical mysteries, dark fantasy, and angry, unreliable narrators who just might stab you with a femur.
This review first appeared in Aurealis magazine, issue #187.
