3.5 stars

When I first started reading The Silent Companions, I wasn’t fully invested straight off the bat. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters, and after discussing a few historical inaccuracies with Jess @lunchpoems, I wondered whether the rest of the book was going to be a bit slapdash... thankfully, it got under my skin within about 100 pages and I couldn’t put it down from there!
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The story bounces between three different timelines, which might have something to do with the lack of connection to the characters, all tied together by the gloomy Bainbridge estate. The local villagers all shun the imposing house following a number of strange accidents, and the menacing feeling is only heightened by the mysterious painted wooden figures which reside there...
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I know what you’re thinking - we all love a good sentient house. Rebecca, The Haunting of Hill House, White is for Witching, I liked or loved them all, and The Silent Companions has an undeniably gothic vibe, but I think the spookiness came more from the companions themselves rather than the house.
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Luckily (or maybe unluckily?!) for me, the companions seem to be heavily influenced by Doctor Who’s weeping angels and King’s topiary animals which are two of the things that strike the most fear in me!! So Purcell succeeded in giving me the willies (if you’ve never heard that phrase before it’s not as weird as it sounds!) which is exactly what I wanted from my October reads!
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By the end I still hadn’t warmed to Elsie fully, but I enjoyed the past diary entries from Anne. There’s some great stuff in here around witchcraft, motherhood and madness too, so a solid dark read overall despite the shaky beginning!