"˜A gruesome, provocative, stylish fairytale"™ Kaliane Bradley, internationally bestselling author of The Ministry of Time"˜Magnificent and devastating"™ Alan Moore, author of Watchman"˜As mesmerizing as it is surreal, a haunting gothic tapestry"™ Lucy Rose, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lamb "˜I loved it"™ Julia Armfield, author of Our Wives Under The Sea"˜Will win awards"™ Observer"˜A worthy entrant into the contemporary gothic hall of fame"™ Financial TimesMarguerite Périgord is locked in the attic of her family home, a towering Chelsea house overlooking the stinking Thames. For company she has a sewing machine, Mrs Beeton"™s Book of Household Management and a carrion crow who has come to nest in the rafters. Restless, she spends her waning energies on the fascinations of her own body, memorising Mrs Beeton"™s advice and longing for her life outside. Cécile Périgord has confined her daughter Marguerite for her own good. Cécile is concerned that Marguerite"™s engagement to a much older, near-penniless solicitor, will drag the family name "“ her husband"™s name, that is "“ into disrepute. And for Cécile, who has worked hard at her own betterment, this simply won"™t do. Cécile"™s life has taught her that no matter how high a woman climbs she can just as readily fall. Of course, both have their secrets, intentions and histories to hide. As Marguerite"™s patience turns into rage, the boundaries of her mind and body start to fray. And neither woman can recognise what the other is becoming.
