Description
A sinister tale of haunting beauty, from The Outcast author Sadie Jones.
It is the eve of Emerald Torrington's twentieth birthday and the family has assembled at Sterne, the once grand, now crumbling, family seat. The cake is iced, the wine decanted, the house gleams invitingly.
But before the first dish can be served, a mysterious group of strangers arrives at the door. Victims of a local train accident they are seeking shelter at the house.
The Torringtons welcome them in but there is something unsettling about the group and, as night falls and a storm rages outside, the family begins to wonder if something more malevolent than stranded travellers is in their home...
The prizewinning and No 1 bestselling author Sadie Jones moves to a gorgeous and bewitching historical setting in a blissful new novel full of spooky surprises - 'promises to fill a large, Downton Abbey-shaped hole in one's cultural life' - Charlotte Sinclair, Vogue
About the Author
Sadie Jones is the critically acclaimed author of six novels. Her first, The Outcast, won the Costa First Novel Award, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, and was a Richard and Judy Number One bestseller. Her second, Small Wars, 2009, was longlisted for the Orange Prize. The Uninvited Guests, was published in 2010. Also a screenwriter, Sadie adapted The Outcast for BBC Television in 2014, directed by Iain Softley and starring George Mackay. Her fourth novel, Fallout, came out the same year, and her fifth, The Snakes in 2019. Her sixth novel, Amy and Lan, was published in July 2022. Sadie is the daughter of the Jamaican screenwriter, novelist and poet, Evan Jones, and British actress, Joanna Jones. She was born and brought up in London, and is married to the architect, Tim Boyd.
Reviews
Dazzlingly well-written. The style is exuberant and extremely funny. This is a midsummer's night dream of a book, mythic and unforgettable * Financial Times *
What a delicious literary cocktail Sadie Jones's latest novel is: part suspense, part Edwardian romcom, richly evocative of time and place... It's a spiffing tale and, even though it is at bottom a metaphysical love story, it is far more believable than Downton Abbey -- Sebastian Shakespeare * Tatler *
Highly entertaining... An elegant comedy of manners with the usual undercurrents of jealousy, desire and conflicting loyalties... Jones shows that she can turn her talent for storytelling to a more stylised form with a light and playful touch, and without compromising her sharp insights into the human heart -- Stephanie Merritt * Observer *
Fans of The Outcast and Small Wars won't be disappointed. Wonderfully spooky and atmospheric -- Viv Groskop * Red *
With its Mitfordesque dialogue and pacy plot, this is a deliciously fun read -- Beatrice Hodgkin * Easy Living *
Book Information
ISBN 9780099563693
Author Sadie Jones
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint Vintage
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 255g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 22mm