Book Review: The House of Whispers by Laura Purcell
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The House of Whispers by Laura Purcell
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Penguin Books (June 9, 2020)
Length: 336 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Haunting Gothic horror with just the touch of the fae, The House of Whispers (also known as Bone China in the UK) is an evocative and atmospheric novel worthy of the Laura Purcell’s talent. Always reliable for a chilling and entertaining read, she’s fast becoming one of my favorite authors.
Set on the Cornish coast in an old mansion overlooking the sea-swept cliffs, the story follows Hester Why who has arrived to take up a position as a maid and nurse to ailing Miss Pinecroft, mistress of Morvoren House. While the work is not in the best location, there is a reason why Hester has taken a job in such a remote place far from the city. From the start, it is clear she is running away from something, and there are hints it might be related to an incident with her last employer. Now she’s a wanted woman, and the only clue as to why lies in the mysterious snuffbox she has hidden among her belongings, as well as a badly stained dress at the bottom of her trunk.
But Hester’s tale is not the only one in play here. Inserted into the narrative are interludes that flashback forty years ago, as a physician and researcher named Dr. Pinecroft travels to Morvoren House with his daughter, Louise. Having recently lost his wife and son to the consumption, Dr. Pinecroft has dedicated himself to finding a cure and believes that breathing in the fresh sea air of Cornwall might be the first step towards recovery for those afflicted. In the nearby caves, he has arranged to house a group of convicts with the disease—desperate men who have volunteered to be test subjects in exchange for freedom if their participation in the medical trials results in a breakthrough. Working as her father’s assistant, Louise helps look after his patients and also interacts with the household staff, a few of whom can be described as nothing else but strange. Filled with superstition, one of the maids is convinced of the existence of malicious faerie creatures that lurk in the wilds around Morvoren House, claiming they will make changelings of them all if they’re not careful.
The House of Whispers is the third novel I’ve read by Purcell, and it is another winner in my eyes. While its story might not be as terrifying as The Silent Companions or as tightly woven as The Poison Thread, I think fans of the author will find this one dripping with the same atmosphere of anxiety and dread as her other books, yet sufficiently different enough to feel new and fresh. With this novel she also cements her talents as a writer of fascinating female leads who are tragically flawed yet sympathetic heroines, and Hester Why is a fine example of how multi-faceted her lead characters are. Threaded through her chapters is a sad the tale of how she came to leave her last employer, landing her in the difficult situation she finds herself now. Obviously I won’t be revealing any of the details, but if your instincts are warning you to prepare for some awful, reprehensible things, I recommend you heed them. Readers do get a sense that Hester can’t fully be trusted, though one also recognizes her desire to help those in need as genuine and sincere. Like so many of Purcell’s other characters, Hester is a deep and complicated puzzle.
Then there’s Louise, whose storyline takes place at Morvoren House decades before Hester makes her arrival. Later, we are able to identify Louise as the elderly Miss Pinecroft whom Hester has been hired to care for, but the infirm old woman was actually quite formidable in her youth. Unfortunately though, I think her chapters came in a little too late, causing me to resent them a little for interrupting the flow of Hester’s story, especially when her past indiscretions were just starting to come to light. Eventually, Louise’s chapters became more engaging, and though I still never felt quite as connected to them as I did with Hester’s, I liked the paranoid superstitious and mythological angle they brought to the book. Speaking of which, one thing I’ve come to love about Purcell’s work is her ability to tease just the right amount of ambiguity to make you wonder at whether or not there are supernatural elements at work. Legends of the fae have persisted for generations at Morvoren House, but it is up to the reader to decide if there’s truth to them, or if they are merely figments of the imagination.
Overall, The House of Whispers was a great book. The last chapter may have been a bit rushed, perhaps, but the conclusion was appropriately dark and unnerving. As well, while it may lack the impact of some of Laura Purcell’s previous novels, this one still kept me up late at night thinking about the story’s questions and the ending’s repercussions. If you’re interested in trying the author’s work, I would recommend The Poison Thread (AKA The Corset), The Silent Companions, and The House of Whispers in that order, but to be honest, you really can’t go wrong with any of them, especially if you enjoy Gothic horror. I can’t wait to see what Purcell writes next.
The BiblioSanctum 
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*happy dance* 😀
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Although I have not read anything by this author – yet – I’m intrigued by your description of her overall work as “chilling and entertaining”, and in this specific case I’m drawn by the dual timeline at the core of the story. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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I thought the characters in this book were fantastic (and some of them downright disturbing) and I loved the mentions of the fae. I adored the writing and the way that the author creates stories that could be both natural or supernatural too although I did also kind of want more from this one. I think maybe a few more chilling scenes in Hester’s storyline and it might have been a five star read for me (especially if the china had felt a bit more vital to the story). But I did still enjoy this and could have read another couple of hundred pages by the author. My favourite book by her so far is The Silent Companions but I still need to read The Corset (and can’t wait to do so). I definitely feel that Laura Purcell is an author that more readers should add to their TBRs.
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Agreed! Hester’s storyline was focused heavily on the mystery of her past, so on some level I understood why Purcell didn’t want to overload it with the fae, but it really could have been creepier. The parts with the china – eek! It gave me chills! Would have been awesome if it had more to that!
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I really thought that there was going to be, especially after one of the rather disturbing conversations that happened on the hills. Still I loved the writing and the characters. I think that’s why I struggled so much over what to rate it as I couldn’t fault what was there, I just wanted more chills. And maybe a few scenes revealing why previous staff had left would have helped? I don’t know. I’m still majorly looking forward to The Corset, as well as whatever the author writes next.
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Yeah, I usually struggle with dual timelines, so that might have affected my experience a little bit. But I still enjoyed this a lot!
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Sold! I chose The Silent Companions as the first read for the reading group I run for work – it went down a storm! – and I keep meaning to read more by Purcell. Thank you for the timely reminder, this sounds ace. 😊
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I’m so glad! The Silent Companions was the first book I read by Purcell, made me an instant fan.
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I didn’t know about this author but it’s great to see you had a good time
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Thanks!
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I’m so bad, I just downloaded this on Edelweiss after I read your review. Like I need another June book to read!!
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It’s Laura Purcell, so I think you can be forgiven 😉
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It has sure been a while since my last horror novel
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They are great to fit in here and there 😀
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I think you had me at ‘atmospheric’ haha. I’ll have to see if my library has this one!
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Ooh, check to see if they have The Poison Thread too! The three books I’ve read by her are all atmospheric. That one might be my favorite so far though 🙂
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Will do!
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I have the Silent Companions on my TBR because of your review. I’m interested in this one too but want to read Silent Companions first. Your review makes me so curious.
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Yay! *fist pump* Glad to hear I was able to put The Silent Companions on your radar, I hope you’ll enjoy it! 😀
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Looks like you found a new favorite, Mogsy! Silent Companions sounds very interesting!
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I sure did! I love her books! 😀
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I really need to read something by this author. You had me at Gothic and it seems like I’ve been collecting books by this Purcell and never reading them. Great review and another one for my list!
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Yes, Gothic! That’s one of those buzz words that are like catnip to me too, these days 😀
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I don’t read gothic horror too often, but it does sometimes have a very appealing feel to it. This one sounds great. I just added The Poison Thread to my TBR.
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I love a good horror every now and then 🙂 I can be pretty particular too, I definitely prefer eerie/atmospheric over blood and gore hack and slash, so Purcell’s books were perfect 😀
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I am loving this author – she is the master of gothic atmosphere and at this point I think I would just read anything she writes.
Lynn 😀
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Yes! I love how all her books are so atmospheric, but so different too – I want more!
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