The Undoing of Violet Claybourne
A Novel
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
"Artful, gothic-tinged...an immersive, chilling treat for suspense fans.” —Publishers Weekly
For fans of Sarah Penner and The Foundling comes a slow-burn gothic mystery following Gillian, a young girl enthralled by the enigmatic Claybourne sisters, their house at Thornleigh Hall, and the tragedy that binds them together for good.
To become a Claybourne girl, she’ll have to betray one first.
1938. Gillian Larking, lonely and away at boarding school, is used to going unnoticed. But then she meets Violet Claybourne, her vibrant roommate who takes Gilly under her wing. Violet is unlike anyone Gilly has ever met, and she regales Gilly with tales of her grand family estate and her two elegant sisters. Gilly is soon entranced by stories of the Claybournes, so when Violet invites Gilly to meet her family at Thornleigh Hall, she can’t believe her luck.
But Gilly soon finds that behind the grand façade of Thornleigh Hall, darkness lurks.
Dazzled by the crumbling manor and Violet’s enigmatic sisters, Gilly settles into the estate. But when a horrible accident strikes on the grounds, she is ensnared in a web of the sisters’ making, forced to make a choice that will change the course of her life forever. Because the Claybournes girls know how to keep secrets, even at the cost of one of their own.
With ensnaring prose and layers of friendship, privilege, mental health, and more, The Undoing of Violet Claybourne is a poignant book club read with characters you won't soon forget.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Critchley (One Puzzling Afternoon) delivers an artful, gothic-tinged mystery about a young woman's tragic entanglement with her friend's wealthy family. In 1999, Gillian McCune (née Larking) is sorting through her possessions when she comes across a diary from 1938. Inside are entries that recount a visit to Thornleigh Hall, the childhood home of Gillian's former boarding school roommate, Violet. The diary moves Gillian to return to Thornleigh for the first time in 60 years, though she's initially hesitant, owing in part to the suicide of a young woman named Laura. Flashbacks chronicle Gillian's first visit to Thornleigh and flesh out her friendship with Violet, whose companionship helped fill the hole left by Gillian's dead mother and cruel father. Critchley gradually ratchets up suspense, piecing together the details of a death at Thornleigh that forced Gillian to take part in an elaborate cover-up. The author maintains an intoxicating air of melancholy and foreboding throughout, and brings the mystery to a satisfying—if not entirely surprising—resolution. It's an immersive, chilling treat for suspense fans.
