"A 1920’s boarding school Gothic horror, containing thwarted desire, seances galore, dark humour, and a whole heap of rot, death, and mayhem."
If you like your stories tied up in a neat ‘and everyone lived happily ever after’ bow, then look elsewhere. Oh, and if you like your horror explained to within an inch of its life and death, then again, I suggest you look elsewhere. What you have here is a Gothic horror treat, where the sixth form of a 1920’s boarding school investigate the very suspicious death of their absolute darling, Violet.
Debut author Avery Curran turns the traditional boarding school story on its head while also making it feel entirely recognisable. Emily narrates, looking back over time to tell her younger story, and as she’s not even sure she likes her own teenage self, it allows you to view proceedings from a somewhat safe distance.
A not entirely likeable main character always appeals to me, and it adds a pointed barb to this not-so jolly hockey sticks tale. The horror itself also manages to remain at a distance even as it delights in smacking you over the head with a cricket bat; the reasons for its appearance remain unexplained, which for me, adds to the creep value.
Unrequited love and emerging lust, ensures an added piquancy as tumultuous feelings run amok. The paranormal plays a part in proceedings as the girls search for answers with seances and the rot sets in. No one is safe in this claustrophobic and darkly amusing yet thoughtful coming-of-age Gothic horror, Spoiled Milk indeed!
In 1928, Emily Locke's final year at the isolated Briarley School for Girls is derailed when Violet, the school's brightest star (and a cunning beauty for whom Emily would do anything), falls to her death on her eighteenth birthday. Emily and her buttoned-up rival Evelyn are, for once, in agreement: Violet's death was no accident. There's an obvious culprit, the French schoolmistress with whom Violet was getting a little too close - they just need to prove it.
| Primary Genre | Horror and Supernatural Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
In 1928, Emily Locke's final year at the isolated Briarley School for Girls is derailed when Violet, the school's brightest star (and a cunning beauty for whom Emily would do anything), falls to her death on her eighteenth birthday. Emily and her buttoned-up rival Evelyn are, for once, in agreement: Violet's death was no accident.
Spoiled Milk features in the following genres: Debuts, Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, Horror and Supernatural Fiction, Sharing Diverse Voices, Horror and Supernatural Fiction, c 1920 to c 1929, Historical crime and mysteries, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Unexplained phenomena / the paranormal
Hardback. £18.00, down from the £20.00 cover price. In Stock.
Spoiled Milk was written by Avery Curran and published by riverrun
Spoiled Milk has 352 pages
£18.00, reduced from £20.00. In Stock.
