"A village reeling from war, an ancient chalk talisman left neglected and an unconventional connection between an artist and a spinster blend together in an eerie, compelling tale."
Bridget Collins has been a must-read author for me ever since I fell in love with The Binding. I love the way her narratives gradually unfurl leading you into compelling and immersive worlds. Stepping into Haltington, you can feel the insular atmosphere, the wariness of outsiders in a village that’s made smaller by the losses of the Great War. A place where superstition equals religion in importance, the supernatural features as a steady and persistent undercurrent, looming over everything through the Face, a chalk carving upon the down, steadily sliding into disrepair now its caretakers are gone.
Just as the setting lures you in, with the tension and foreboding encroaching from the edges of your vision like a fog, the relationship between the characters unfurls. There’s Kit running from her wartime work in Paris, Florence yearning for connection, their relationship is like a rock rolling over the downs, uncertain at first but gaining momentum with seeming inevitability. Then there’s Phoebe, moving through the story like a wandering spectre and the most attuned to the haunting darkness approaching.
Perfect for readers who love the subtle creeping of gothic tales, The Naked Light is a compulsive and uncanny read about human connection.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
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Special Edition
A village haunted by stories. Two women bound by a secret.
A haunting gothic tale of ancient darkness and a love that defies convention, from Sunday Times #1 bestseller Bridget Collins.
Watching over the village of Haltington is an ancient carving in the ground, known to locals simply as the Face. It was first etched into the chalk when lives were ruled by superstition and stories; by fear of the unknown, of the shadows.
For centuries, the inhabitants of Bone Cottage have tended to it. But now that the Great War has decimated the population of even this most isolated of places, the Face stands neglected and overgrown.
When enigmatic outsider Kit moves into the cottage, the villagers are suspicious of her androgynous appearance and bohemian ways. In defiance of their disapproval, the vicar's unmarried sister-in-law Florence finds herself inexplicably drawn to Kit, and the friendship that grows between them becomes a light in the dark for her.
But the Face calls things to it, and now Florence and Kit are in its path…
A haunting gothic tale of ancient darkness and a love that defies convention, from Sunday Times #1 bestseller Bridget Collins.
The Naked Light - Special Edition features in the following genres: Sci-Fi / Fantasy Pick of the Month, Special Editions, General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror and Supernatural Fiction, First World War fiction, Narrative theme: Love and relationships, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Magical realism, Dark fantasy, Myths and Legends / Mythic fiction, Historical romance
The Naked Light - Special Edition is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Naked Light - Special Edition was written by Bridget Collins and published by The Borough Press an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
The Naked Light - Special Edition has 384 pages
