The themes of this gothic novel are many but the following are worth a mention: hysteria, madness, pregnancy, and class dynamics, matters of property and entitlement, marriage, death, and superstition. The story talks about how the times have affected people’s perceptions since the Elizabethan Age and the way some ideas have evolved to be what they are in the present Victorian/industrial age. We witness the class disparity between the servants and Elsie who is privileged and the house’s rightful heir. The story takes place in Victorian England and has all the elements of a good Dickensian novel.
The time shifts help take the narrative forward as they provide us with details of The Bridge’s dark past and – the lives of Elsie’s ancestors from 200 years ago.
Each alternate chapter highlights events that occurred in the 1600s to previous occupants of the house. From ancient Victorian country houses with dark passageways, eerie and bizarre occurrences, bits of the occult, superstitions, and a naive female protagonist who witnesses a series of inexplicable supernatural encounters.Īt 364 pages long and multiple settings, The Silent Companions comes with an interesting parallel narrative. The Silent Companions encapsulates well-known, time-tested gothic literary tropes. Click here to read more about the actual Silent Companions in history that inspired the author.ĭISCLAIMER: Spoilers may be present. Soon she will be forced to confront and deal with the other, mysterious members of the household.
With a history that spans centuries, the young widow has no idea what horrors she’s managed to unleash. Bainbridge) manages to somehow disturb the balance within the house. But the house has its fair share of hidden secrets and locked away in one of its many rooms are a group of silent companions. She is with child and has been sent to The Bridge (an English Country mansion) to see through her pregnancy. Elsie is newly married and recently widowed.
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