A supernaturally gifted servant is trapped on an island estate with a murderous wealthy family in this gothic fantasy set in a reimagined 1920s Scotland.
“A conceptually-explosive and vividly-rendered story that offers skewering insights into memory, grief, and desire. An anthem for our times.” —C.J. Cooke, author of The Lighthouse Witches
Lynx is a grief nurse, capable of taking away someone’s negative emotions and transforming them into something beautiful. She is a servant kept by the powerful and privileged Aster family, ensuring that they never experience sadness, anxiety, heartache, or fear. Restricted to the grounds of the Asters’ manor house on a secluded Scottish island, Lynx knows no other life.
When the Asters’ eldest son tragically dies, Lynx must do what she can to alleviate the family’s sorrow. But as guests arrive for the wake, she is faced with more jealousy, suspicion, hatred, and treachery than she can handle. Tensions rise, and Lynx is soon trapped in the middle of a family tearing itself apart. And when the first body appears, she must choose between solving this deadly puzzle or fleeing for her life . . .
“A wonderful debut. . . . A dark fantasy, dystopian, crime novel.” —The Courier (UK), Scottish Book of the Week
“Powerful . . . explores serious, sensitive issues through a unique prism of fantasy.” —The Guardian (UK)
“Unforgettable and quietly devastating.” —Helen Marshall, author of The Migration
“Spoto’s extraordinary rendering of loss conveys humanness at its brightest and its most troubled.” —Elizabeth Reeder, author of An Archive of Happiness