The Undoing of Violet Claybourne

January 6, 2025
Critchley (One Puzzling Afternoon) delivers an artful, gothic-tinged mystery about a young woman’s tragic entanglement with her friend’s wealthy family. In 1999, Gillian McCune (née Larking) is sorting through her possessions when she comes across a diary from 1938. Inside are entries that recount a visit to Thornleigh Hall, the childhood home of Gillian’s former boarding school roommate, Violet. The diary moves Gillian to return to Thornleigh for the first time in 60 years, though she’s initially hesitant, owing in part to the suicide of a young woman named Laura. Flashbacks chronicle Gillian’s first visit to Thornleigh and flesh out her friendship with Violet, whose companionship helped fill the hole left by Gillian’s dead mother and cruel father. Critchley gradually ratchets up suspense, piecing together the details of a death at Thornleigh that forced Gillian to take part in an elaborate cover-up. The author maintains an intoxicating air of melancholy and foreboding throughout, and brings the mystery to a satisfying—if not entirely surprising—resolution. It’s an immersive, chilling treat for suspense fans. Agent: Hayley Steed, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc.

Starred review from February 1, 2025
When Gillian's single father's job took him to Egypt, Gillian went too, but he soon decided to send her to an English boarding school to be with girls her own age--and because he wanted to remarry. Most of Gillian's fellow pupils are from the upper class, a part of society she has never been exposed to. Feeling awkward, gauche, and lonely, Gillian is delighted when her new roommate, Violet Claybourne, turns out to be quirky, eccentric, free spirited, and unpretentious despite coming from a wealthy family. Gillian is even more pleased when she is invited to spend Christmas with Violet's family at their palatial country home. There, Gillian meets Violet's glamorous older sisters and is desperate for them to notice, like, and include her. But trying to ingratiate herself with the older girls means ignoring Violet, and when a terrible tragedy occurs, Gillian finds herself involved in a nightmarish game of cover-up and blame, with devastating consequences that will continue to impact all those involved for the rest of their lives. The story spans six decades, beginning in the 1930s, and delivers a powerful, thought-provoking, heart-wrenching message about belonging, choices, lies, guilt, and family secrets. A riveting must-read.

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Starred review from January 31, 2025

Critchley's (One Puzzling Afternoon) enthralling, bleak novel is a sweeping gothic saga that packs a punch of family trauma. Naive Gillian Larkin and quirky Violet Claybourne meet at boarding school in 1938 and swiftly form a friendship. When Violet invites Gillian to her family home, Thornleigh Hall, to spend the holidays, Gillian is delighted to experience an upper-class family's Christmas. Violet is innocently imaginative, but her sisters are calculated socialites seasoned in tactics for easily manipulating situations to their favor. Seeking the older Claybourne sisters' approval, Gillian is persuaded to gaslight Violet, her dearest friend, in tragic ways. This dark and violent tale combines elements of literary fiction, gothic thriller, and historical fiction with unexpected chilling thrills and betrayals along the way. It's an imaginative, singular story with devastating circumstances as characters attempt to dig themselves out of the ramifications for unforgivable acts. VERDICT Readers will not be disappointed as they follow Gillian's nail-biting experience with the Claybourne sisters, questioning choices that lead to a guttural, gobsmacking, and unforgettable ending.--Sarah-Ruth Tasko

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