An evocative and mysterious coming-of-age tale that successfully combines sublime writing with an engaging plot and superbly drawn characters. With strong literary overtones, it reads like a book that was penned by an
experienced hand, yet it is Rachel Donohue's debut... This is already one of my books of the year. The winner of the 2017 Hennessy New Irish Writing Award, Donohue is a talented and welcome addition to the literary scene.
* Sunday Independent *
Donohue is
a master of clean, sharp prose, and has a hugely impressive ability to create layers of atmosphere or ratchet up tension in a couple of beguilingly simple sentences. * Irish Times *
Donohue looks to be the latest name to join the ranks of Ireland's proud female thriller-writing tradition. * Irish Independent *
With shades of everything from
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and
Frost in May to
Picnic at Hanging Rock and
The Secret History, this is subtle, intriguing and very well written. * Guardian: 'The best recent crime and thrillers' *
This brooding tale of obsessive love, teenage jealousy and hidden desire has a dark charm... While the unsettling atmosphere is enough to keep the pages turning, Donohue also does a fine job of holding parts of her story back. When the shocking solution is finally revealed, it is in the sort of circumstances that all but force the reader to return to the beginning to marvel at how the trail was laid. * i *
Rachel Donohue is
an enchanting writer. Her words seem, at first, innocuous and straightforward, but then it becomes apparent that they're doing mischievous things... And in the end, the ways in which everything makes a different kind of sense is ingenious - holy, even. * Sunday Business Post *
With clean prose, subtle characters and intrigue to keep the pages turning this is
a hugely promising debut. * Mike McCormack, author of Solar Bones *
Atmospheric, creepy, tense and utterly absorbing - a great literary thriller set in a Catholic girls' boarding school.
Loved this. * Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange *
Beautifully written in the same
chilling vein as a Daphne du Maurier novel,
The Temple House Vanishing promises to be
the outstanding debut of 2020. * Christine Dwyer Hickey *
An exquisitely written novel. Absolutely beautiful. So evocative for me of all those school greats -
The Secret History,
Dead Poets Society,
Picnic at Hanging Rock. It was such a slow build of tension but simmering with that sinister under-layer the whole time.
This is some debut. * Jo Spain, author of The Confession *
The ending really spoke to me...
Assured and compelling. * Liz Robinson, LoveReading *
This is
an extremely fine novel. Donohue handles the action, the places, the people and the emotions so well. It is both absolutely believable and
compelling, pulling the reader along at pace... Well worth reading. * New Books Magazine *
A
beautifully atmospheric and involving novel, written in a lyrical literary style with a mysteriously compelling story...
terrific...
Intelligent, insightful and intriguing. * LizLovesBooks *
This eerie mystery thriller, which has also evoked comparisons with
Picnic at Hanging Rock, has pitched Donohue as a rising star. Definitely worth a look. * RTE Guide *
A chilling, atmospheric tale of obsession and desire that will please fans of historical mysteries like
Picnic at Hanging Rock. * Culturefly *
This languid tale of longing and obsessions
casts a spell that keeps you captivated. * Heat *
Exceptional... She's clearly someone to watch * The Canberra Times *
A highly entertaining thriller * Coly Point Observer *
An atmospheric, gothic read * The List *
