Sensational debut!
Jane Healey masters the craftwork of heavenly prose like a seamstress weaving silk - her descriptive prowess and articulation of dark atmospheric tone is simply divine. This book demands to be read by the hearth, with a mug of something warm, and in a smart, British accent (or at least that's what I did.)
Set in 1939, aspiring museum director Hetty Cartwright is tasked with the job of a lifetime - to oversee the relocation of a mammal exhibit for a London gallery to Lockwood Manor in an attempt to avoid the impending destruction of an escalating world war. Despite the protections afforded, keeping the animals safe is no easy feat - specimens are missing or being moved in the dead of night, shadowy figures loom in the corridors, rumors abound of a cursed woman in white haunting the grounds, and the caustic lord Major Lockwood treats Hetty and her animals as interlopers rather than welcomed guests. Hetty's only reprieve is the kindness of Major Lockwood's daughter, Lucy Lockwood, a mysterious beauty haunted by the ghosts of her past and in the walls of her home. A hesitant friendship turned blossoming romance ensues - their love is the only hope for happiness in the dark manor and amidst an even darker political climate of war-ridden Europe.
The Animals of Lockwood Manor was a pleasure to read through and through. Atmospheric and chilling, this debut surely demonstrates the author's ability to tap into our senses with wordplay. The supernatural elements are deeply symbolic and psychological, so readers expecting dramatic magic and occult horrors might be disappointed. It's a deliberately paced, beautifully written tale for the patient, open-minded reader. And the representation of a female-female romance is simply sublime.
Set in 1939, aspiring museum director Hetty Cartwright is tasked with the job of a lifetime - to oversee the relocation of a mammal exhibit for a London gallery to Lockwood Manor in an attempt to avoid the impending destruction of an escalating world war. Despite the protections afforded, keeping the animals safe is no easy feat - specimens are missing or being moved in the dead of night, shadowy figures loom in the corridors, rumors abound of a cursed woman in white haunting the grounds, and the caustic lord Major Lockwood treats Hetty and her animals as interlopers rather than welcomed guests. Hetty's only reprieve is the kindness of Major Lockwood's daughter, Lucy Lockwood, a mysterious beauty haunted by the ghosts of her past and in the walls of her home. A hesitant friendship turned blossoming romance ensues - their love is the only hope for happiness in the dark manor and amidst an even darker political climate of war-ridden Europe.
The Animals of Lockwood Manor was a pleasure to read through and through. Atmospheric and chilling, this debut surely demonstrates the author's ability to tap into our senses with wordplay. The supernatural elements are deeply symbolic and psychological, so readers expecting dramatic magic and occult horrors might be disappointed. It's a deliberately paced, beautifully written tale for the patient, open-minded reader. And the representation of a female-female romance is simply sublime.