Blurb:

TO BECOME ONE OF THEM, SHE WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES…

1938. Gillian Larking is used to blending in and going unnoticed, until she is befriended by her new roommate at boarding school, the vibrant and spirited Violet Claybourne. As the Christmas holidays approach, Gilly can’t believe her luck when Violet invites her to spend them at her home, the crumbling Thornleigh Hall.

At Thornleigh, Gilly is dazzled by the family’s faded grandeur, and above all by Violet’s beguiling older sisters who seem to accept her as one of their own. But following a terrible incident in the house’s grounds, Gilly begins to realise the Claybourne sisters aren’t quite what she thought they were. And if she’s to survive in their world, she may have to become just like them . . .

Review:

I loved One Puzzling Afternoon a few years ago, so I was delighted to see that Emily Critchley had written another novel. I enjoyed The Undoing Of Violet Claybourne and I was immersed into the lives of Violet and her sisters.

In The Undoing Of Violet Claybourne, Emily Critchley has created some fascinating characters, and this is the greatest strength of the novel. As a first person narrator, who is a young, impressionable girl for the majority of the novel, I was never completely sure that Gillian was reliable, and it becomes clear quite quickly that she is easily manipulated. 

I’m sure most readers will see in Violet some mental health issues of which there would not have been knowledge in 1938, when the book is set. Her efforts to manage her differences are heartwarming and I immediately felt sympathy for her. This sympathy is heightened by Emmeline and Laura’s dismissive attitude towards her. Emmeline, in particular, really made me squirm and I felt angry on Violet’s behalf.

The plot is quite slow burning, but it is interesting to see how the characters fare over a period of sixty years. I enjoyed the portrayal of the upper class life and the desperation to keep up appearances and I was intrigued as to the direction in which the story would go. There were some interesting revelations as the story reached its conclusion, and although I hadn’t predicted these, I did find them slightly far fetched. I will, however, be thinking about Gillian and the Claybournes for a while to come.

The Undoing Of Violet Claybourne is available from Amazon.