The Short Straw by Holly Seddon
Three sisters find themselves lost in a storm at night, and seek safety at Moirthwaite Manor, where their mother once worked.
#TheShortStraw @hollyseddon @Tr4cyF3nt0n #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour
They are shocked to find the isolated mansion that loomed so large through their troubled childhoods has long been abandoned. Drawing straws to decide who should get help, one sister heads back into the darkness. With the siblings separated, the deadly secrets hidden in the house finally make themselves known and we learn the unspeakable secret that binds the family together.
My Review
This was nothing like I expected. Abandoned mansion house in the middle of nowhere, violent storm, car breaks down, three sisters alone, ghosts, unhinged serial killer on the loose, Gothic horror? Forget it. This is very different, although the atmosphere is permanently thick with menace, it’s also a very emotional read.
It’s told in two timelines (a third thrown in just briefly for good measure), one revolving around the girls mother Rosemary in 1993, the other in the here and now. Nina is the eldest child, working as a midwife, her relationship with girlfriend Tessa seemingly on the rocks. Then there is Lizzie, frumpy, prefers animals to people and works at a dog rescue centre. Finally there is Aisa, who moves around, house-sits, has no fixed abode and is currently pet sitting a cat called Poisson in Paris. She has to get back.
In 1993, the girls lived with their mum in a two-bed cottage near Morthwaite Manor, the aforementioned mansion, where she was the housekeeper. Their dad is Bob, who was one of the boys who lived at the manor – it was a home for the unwanted and unloved, where boys could start a new life (theoretically) under the protection of the Brigadier and his wife Mrs Proctor. Alan also lived there and is now a gamekeeper of sorts, who appears to shoot at anything that’s not nailed down, mainly rabbits and birds. He prefers to live in a tent in the grounds.
They had a son, William, who went off to university, but came back to look after the house after his parents died. He is married to Selina and they had a daughter Jane, the same age as Lizzie.
Thirty years later, the three sisters are visiting their dad, but on the way home, they run out of petrol and have to abandon the car and find somewhere to shelter. Morthwaite Manor is close by, so that’s where they head. But when they get there, the place has been left to go to wrack and ruin. The front door is unlocked though, so they go in.
They draw straws to decide who will go for help and so it begins. No ghosts, no serial killers, no monsters under the bed, just the unlocking of the terrible secrets of the past – secrets long forgotten, but ones that will bind them all forever. I loved it.
Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour and to NetGalley for an ARC.
About the Author
Holly Seddon is the international bestselling author of TRY NOT TO BREATHE, DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES, LOVE WILL TEAR US APART, THE HIT LIST and WOMAN ON THE BRIDGE. After growing up in the English countryside obsessed with music and books, Holly worked in London as a journalist and editor. She now lives in Kent with her family and writes full time. Alongside fellow author Gillian McAllister, Holly co-hosts the popular Honest Authors Podcast. You can find her on Twitter @hollyseddon, Instagram and Facebook @hollyseddonauthor.
