#Spooktober ‘Unquiet’ by E.Saxey

About the book…

A young woman discovers her long-thought dead brother-in-law in her garden and sets about unravelling the mysterious circumstances of his disappearance in this gripping and unsettling Victorian gothic horror, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Sarah Waters.

London 1893. Judith has been living alone in her family home for four months, the rest of her family travelling around the world whilst she tries desperately to get over the death of Sam, her brother-in-law, who drowned in an accident a year ago.

One icy evening, she discovers Sam, alive, in the garden. He has no memory of the past year, and remembers little of the accident that appeared to take his life.

Desperate to keep his reappearance a secret until she can discover the truth about what happened to him, Judith journeys to the scene of Sam’s accident, only to unearth secrets she never thought she would find.

My hugest thanks to Titan for my gifted arc of ‘Unquiet’ by E.Saxey  and also the mystery seeds which sadly did not grow-or maybe they will yet?!

I am still hopeful!

This a lush and seething gothic novel which completely subsumed me, it was incredibly evocative of a time and place where folk lore, religion and superstition meld into an first person narrative that takes you straight inside Judith’s mind.

She is alone in her family house, having dispatched her sister, mother and sister’s fiance’s brother, Toby, away to Italy following the disappearance and death of Sam, Toby’s brother.

She roams the house in dresses made from velvet curtains, haunted by the ghosts of her relationships with her family members and what could be, but never was.

Following their move to the outskirts of London, where they remain outsiders, they band with the new arrivals, Sam and Toby in their status as ‘not from around these here parts’ and Ruth quickly falls for Sam.

His death devastates both families and as Judith dismisses all household staff, except for Lucy the maid, and becomes almost a wraith , a ghost of herself.

But in the absence of family and accompanied responsibilities of looking after them, she is able to explore her culture through her art.

And in the midst of this lonely existence where she believes she has done the right thing, sending her loved ones away, Sam returns.

Was he dead? Or just missing for a year?

Was it one of Judith’s ceremonies which summoned him back, or something darker?

Is he even there?

I have to admit to doubting Judith at the same time as being completely engrossed in her version of just what was going on , desperate to find out what the cause of Sam’s amnesia is, whilst hiding him away until she can formulate a logical response to the most unlikely of circumstances.

The details of Jewish culture are so respectfully done, I found myself looking up the various folktales that Saxey mentions, and was blown away by the way in which they add depth and resonance to the story.

I knew of the golem,and this is a motif carried through Unquiet, for a golem has no mouth, and likewise, Judith does, but is not encouraged to use it.

She is an anomaly, living on her own with what may or may not be a ghost or a person who has died, or maybe he never did-trying desperately to avoid spoilers here!-and I absolutely loved the way it hits at this time of year, the days are shortening and ghost stories and folk lore start coming to the fore.

Highly recommended for lovers of that exquisite space between fantasy and horror, whilst embracing both!

About the author…

E. Saxey is an ungendered Londoner who works in universities. Their fiction has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, Queers Destroy Science Fiction and in anthologies including Tales from the Vatican Vaults and The Lowest Heaven. 

They live in London

Twitter @esaxey @TitanBooks