The house, however, is in dreadful shape, and the man hired to evaluate the situation and give an estimate of cost advises her to tear it down.
In addition to the sad state of the mansion, shortly before Hettie's arrival, a human skeleton has been unearthed. As Sarah tries to cope with the condition of the house and possible collapse of her plans, she also is curious about whose remains were buried and why.
The last occupant of the house was her distant uncle, Theo Blake, a painter who achieved early acclaim, but whose final paintings were distressing. Since Blake's death in the 1940's, the grand old home has been unoccupied.
The story shifts back and forth between 2010 and Hettie's visit and 1910 when Theo Blake brings Beatrice, his young wife, to his childhood home. Beatrice falls in love with the surrounding area and wildlife, but she is confused as her husband seems to cut himself off emotionally.
There are quite a few convenient/contrived coincidences, but the book has finely toned atmospheric and Gothic elements. "What's past is prologue...."
The House Between Tides is Maine's debut novel, but it was first published in 2014 with the title Bhalla Strand.
Read in April; blog post scheduled for July 22, 2016.
NetGalley/Atria Books
Mystery/Romance. 2014; Aug. 2, 2016. Print length: 400 pages.
Hopefully she will get better with time with the things that bothered you. Still sounds good, though!
ReplyDeleteThe story from the past was the most interesting to me. :)
DeleteI'm looking forward to reading this one later this summer. The whole Gothic element has me hooked, as well as the Scottish location. Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI'm fond of Gothic elements as well, and anything set in Scotland gets my attention. Look forward to seeing what you think of this one, Kay.
DeleteOooooh! You knew I'd want this one...😊
ReplyDeleteIt is still available at NetGalley, Debby!
DeleteThis sounds like a good one!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't as taken with the modern story, but Maine's descriptions of the island in the past were great. :)
DeleteI'm torn on this one...I have issues with two-timeline stories--one story is always better than the other, but I love that it's set in Scotland. Hmm...decisions, decisions. :)
ReplyDeleteI know--and this one follows the same path. One story is much better than the other.
DeleteThis sounds good, Jenclair! I know I'm already drawn to the gothic setting and the intriguing plot. :) And I wonder why they changed the title.
ReplyDeleteTitles and covers can convey so much, not that they are always accurate. :) I do think I was drawn to this title more than I would have been to the original, but I always look at the description, too.
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