The Silent Companion by Laura Purcell

The Silent Companions, Laura Purcell, 2017

My favorite quote: “Sometimes, the brain cannot cope with the information it has to process. It makes sense of trauma in odd ways.”

Notable characters: Elsie Bainbridge, co-manager of a factory; Rupert, her recently (and mysteriously) deceased husband; Sarah, Rupert’s unusual cousin

Most memorable scene: When the locked door of the attic room opens on its own and Elsie sees the Bainbridge family’s vast and strange collection of silent companions

Greatest strengths: The prose is absolutely beautiful here without being evasive or over-flowery

Standout achievements: I’d put this Victorian ghost story right up there with the best of them — Turn of the Screw, A Christmas Carol, you name it — in my opinion, The Silent Companions is worthy to stand beside any one of them

Fun Facts: While there are a few theories about the purpose of dummy boards, aka silent companions (a practical joke? A form of home security? Combatants against loneliness?) I’m not convinced anyone really knows quite what the European elite were thinking when they began this curious trend

Other media: N/A

What it taught me: That anything — and I mean ANYTHING — can be creepy. It’s all about the delivery (not that painted wooden figures of Victorian children need any help being creepy)

How it inspired me: Before I’d finished reading it, I suspected that this book would leave an indelible impression on my writer’s mind, and I wasn’t wrong. There’s a LOT of interesting stuff here. For one thing, this was the first time I’d ever even heard of dummy boards. I was fascinated, and after learning about them, I began exploring other strange, lesser known Victorian traditions. This led to a whole slew of spooky new story ideas — so thank you, creepy Victorians, for that

Additional thoughts: If you’re looking for gothic horror at it’s finest, you’ve just arrived

Haunt me: alistaircross.com