Eloise by Judy Finnigan.

                       Eloise by Judy Finnigan.

The sun gleamed blue in the sunlight and on rainy days, its sullen pewter gloom was thrillingly brightened by crashing white surf that made my heart sing and my head clear of everything except the brilliant beauty of this wondrous place.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder although looks can be deceptive. Finnigan intended to write a ghost story with a thriller touch but it is more of an agonising portrayal of a woman's descent into despair and insanity like Charlotte Perkins Gilman's autobiographical story The Yellow Wallpaper documenting her own decline into madness. A bit depressing.

Cornwall. This is Daphne du Maurier country, Menabilly where the famous  Rebecca was conceived, the thriller that we all loved so much. The landscape may well be breathtaking but it can also be bleak and menacing, a god-forsaken, isolated place, shrouded in mist, rain and loneliness which is where Finnigan sets her scene.

The writer's purpose was to show how tragic it is to lose a parent who leaves behind young children. Finnigan's friend Caron Keating died at the age of 41 from breast cancer leaving two young sons. When you read Finnigan's debut novel you will see the inspiration behind the character of Eloise who also dies from cancer leaving two young daughters. But that's where the similarity ends.

Cathy, the main character is a weak and badly disturbed heroine, if we can call her that, who has already suffered from clinical depression and throughout the novel she hovers on the brink of insanity. Husband Chris, a psychiatrist has been tolerant and patient of his wife's demise up until now but Eloise and Cornwall no longer provide the sanctuary that Cathy has enjoyed for 20 years. He knows his limitations and makes unreasonable demands of his wife resulting in a marriage crisis. He tells her he has had enough of her obsessions and her selfishness. He describes her emotions as being warped and twisted. This outburst shocked Cathy because it was so hostile and venomous. Cathy realises that her marriage is hanging by a thread but instead of salvaging it she chooses to unravel the truth regarding Eloise's haunting messages and warnings.

She is disturbed by the spiritual presence of her recently deceased friend. It seems that Eloise has unfinished business trying to protect her young daughters from Ted, her husband. She appears initially as a formless shade asking for Cathy's help after admitting to having done a terrible thing which will result in punishment for herself and her twins. Then she appears in person.

Are the visitations ghostly supernatural hallucinations or is Eloise real? Cathy's mental instability doesn't help the reader establish any truths here. We learn of Cathy's bad dreams dating back to the time when her father died. She was severely traumatised by it and recurring nightmares of her father's burning corpse haunt her to the point of driving her to insanity. She describes them as being Gothic in their horror like the nightmares of severed heads rising out of the ground with their blood dripping onto the grass. And for Bronte fans there are many references to Wuthering Heights and Cathy's spiritual return. Good Gothic horror stuff.

I shouldn't be here. At least not yet. I was terminally ill but my passing was premature.

Suspicion surrounds Eloise's death and even Father Pete comments on a disturbance in the air, a feeling of restlessness in the parish. His belief is that Satan has taken control of Eloise and Cathy is being possessed by an evil spirit. His offering is what Chris sardonically refers to as a ghost-busting ritual. Juliana, Eloise's mother sees it as a betrayal of a friend Eloise trusted.

The main characters may not be particularly credible although there are two interesting characters, Ted the anti-hero/villain who is introduced to us as a bit of a legend and a stunner who deals badly with his wife's death, drinking too heavily, becoming violent and becoming unhinged just like Cathy. His moods are unpredictable and he is wildly dangerous. Jack is the childhood sweetheart who knew Eloise as a teenager, who stole her heart and then emigrated with his parents to Australia for a better life. Another stunner but more spiritual and a good role model. And  Jack was the key to unlocking the truth and saving the twins. Only then could Eloise rest in peace and allow Cathy to regain her sanity and re-establish a stronghold in her marriage to Chris. Why did Ted hate his wife so much to will her to die prematurely? What happened to the fragile Cathy when she allowed herself to be drawn into a Gothic fantasy turned reality? Did she survive? Why was Jack important and who was Arthur?

It certainly lacks the tension of a Daphne du Maurier or a Susan Hill novel although there are plenty of secrets revealed towards the end to justify the effort in reading it.

Have a look at it for yourself and decide.

Publisher: Sphere  ISBN: 978-0-7515-4860-0

Copyright 2014. Permission must be obtained from the author before any of this review is reproduced.