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A review by aritrigupta
The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
4.0
[b:The Shape of Darkness|53814737|The Shape of Darkness|Laura Purcell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595052727l/53814737._SY75_.jpg|84138458] is a bleak, powerful, mystical story of Agnes and Pearl, steeped in intrigue, murder and spirits.
Laura Purcell is one of the better gothic thriller writers I have read in a long, long time, and her stories are spooky, poignant, and bittersweet. Her narration, in this book, was equally powerful and thought provoking and atmospheric. The dark and dreary setting of Bath, the houses of Agnes and Pearl made for stupendous settings for the story to unfold.
Here are the things I absolutely loved
1)The characters were layered, complex and real, and Purcell left no stone unturned to make them seem like real people that we would come across in our lives– their perils, their little joys, their fears – there was so much attention to detail to these things. The frailty of Pearl and Agnes, and the impact that the people around them had on both worked as significant factors that worked great for the story.
2)It was so atmospheric, that at times, I couldn’t shake off the dreadful Bath air. Intertwining spirituality with the serial murders was another plot point that I must applaud.
3)I loved the twists – none of them seemed forced, like a natural turn of the story for a woman so addled with fears and pain
I had just one complaint, and that was the pacing. The story, at times, seemed sluggish, and it took me longer than average to finish the book. However, this one small fault took nothing away from the overall book. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a great Gothic mystery and is prepared to be swept into a story of silhouettes, shadows and murders, of unrequited love, of obsession and consequences, of a myriad of secrets and their burden.
Kudos to the audible narrator – she was marvelous!
Laura Purcell is one of the better gothic thriller writers I have read in a long, long time, and her stories are spooky, poignant, and bittersweet. Her narration, in this book, was equally powerful and thought provoking and atmospheric. The dark and dreary setting of Bath, the houses of Agnes and Pearl made for stupendous settings for the story to unfold.
Here are the things I absolutely loved
1)The characters were layered, complex and real, and Purcell left no stone unturned to make them seem like real people that we would come across in our lives– their perils, their little joys, their fears – there was so much attention to detail to these things. The frailty of Pearl and Agnes, and the impact that the people around them had on both worked as significant factors that worked great for the story.
2)It was so atmospheric, that at times, I couldn’t shake off the dreadful Bath air. Intertwining spirituality with the serial murders was another plot point that I must applaud.
3)I loved the twists – none of them seemed forced, like a natural turn of the story for a woman so addled with fears and pain
I had just one complaint, and that was the pacing. The story, at times, seemed sluggish, and it took me longer than average to finish the book. However, this one small fault took nothing away from the overall book. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a great Gothic mystery and is prepared to be swept into a story of silhouettes, shadows and murders, of unrequited love, of obsession and consequences, of a myriad of secrets and their burden.
Kudos to the audible narrator – she was marvelous!