"To marry is madness.
To escape is impossible.
‘The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O’Reilly grips like a vice’ Nicola Cornick
In 1886, a respectable young woman must acquire a husband. But Violet Pring longs to be a professional artist and live on her own terms.
When she turns down a desirable marriage proposal from an eligible Brighton gentleman, her family have had enough of her independent streak. Against her wishes, they lock her away in Hillwood Grange Lunatic Asylum.
Now at the mercy of the sinister Dr Rastrick, she must keep her wits about her if she has any hope of escaping.
This tantalizing Gothic novel from Noel O’Reilly tells a thrilling story of duty and desire, madness and sanity, truth and delusion from within a Victorian asylum.
Praise for The Darlings of the Asylum:
‘Always engaging and readable’ Sunday Times
‘The narrative rattles along irresistibly all the way to its suitably gothic climax’ Readers’ Digest
‘This darkly atmospheric psychological thriller oozes menace’ Women’s Own
‘Wow! I have been on the edge of my seat with this one! The Darlings of the Asylum… grips like a vice’ Nicola Cornick, author of The Winter Garden
‘Gripping’ Alison Stockham, author of The Cuckoo Sister"
"‘Compelling’ Sunday Times
A powerful debut exploring the dark side of Cornwall – the wrecking and the drowned sailors – where poverty drove villagers to dark deeds…
Shipwrecks are part of life in the remote village of Porthmorvoren, Cornwall. And as the sea washes the bodies of the drowned onto the beach, it also brings treasures: barrels of liquor, exotic fruit, the chance to lift a fine pair of boots from a corpse, maybe even a jewel or two.
When, after a fierce storm, Mary Blight rescues a man half-dead from the sea, she ignores the whispers of her neighbours and carries him home to nurse better. Gideon Stone is a Methodist minister from Newlyn, a married man. Touched by Mary’s sacrifice and horrified by the superstitions and pagan beliefs the villagers cling to, Gideon sets out to bring light and salvation to Porthmorvoren by building a chapel on the hill.
But the village has many secrets and not everyone wants to be saved. As Mary and Gideon find themselves increasingly drawn together, jealousy, rumour and suspicion is rife. Gideon has demons of his own to face, and soon Mary’s enemies are plotting against her…
Gripping, beautifully written and utterly beguiling, Noel O’Reilly’s debut WRECKER is a story of love, injustice, superstition and salvation, set against Cornwall’s dark past."
