Fantasy novel The Grief Nurse – this week's Star Read – unfolds in an irresistible way
They do things differently in the eerily seductive world of The Grief Nurse (Sandstone Press), created by writer Angie Spoto, an American writer now living in Scotland.
It's with the sharp eyes of a stranger in town that you take in the lush but troubled surroundings of Mount Sorcha, the home of family the Asters.
In the aftermath of a death, things are perhaps not as they should be. But a party, even a wake, seems a test – and when it was originally meant to be the engagement party of Aster son Sculptor, surely even having your pain taken away must leave an uncomfortable feeling or two for his loved ones?
It doesn’t take long to work out that having a Grief Nurse like Lynx to take away troublesome feelings, is a luxury most would pay a fortune to enjoy.
But do the Asters have rich lives on the inside to match their status and wealth, relieved of the bad stuff? It will take most of the book before there is any true inkling.
The gothic setting suits Lynx and a secret love keeps the lonely, dark life that writer Angie Spoto paints for her, hopeful.
The story has many twists and with death apparently stalking Spoto’s characters, there is a real trial for Lynx who needs to keep the Asters safe from a terrifying threat and faces a test of character and facing up to her own weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
The writing is exquisite, rich descriptions of landscape and Lynx's surroundings, are a speciality: “Among the tree’s roots seemed impossible things; a cluster of goldenrod flowers, crowns nodding as bees flitted among them. A carousel horse grinning with its head thrown back umber mane flowing across its jet-black withers”.
And drama unfolds with an irresistible power: “All at once the crows fluttering in the crown of the yew tree lifted into the air. Their screeches echoed throughout the hall, and their wings fought the wind. They shot toward the night, away from the house, black shapes blotted out the stars as they flew higher and higher until, eventually, their cries faded away".
And it has to be mentioned that the gorgeous embossed cover, like something from a Victorian or Edwardian novel, makes this a beautiful potential gift for your favourite lover of the fantasy or gothic read.
The Grief Nurse Angie Spoto (Sandstone Press, £16.99)
And on the publisher's set, writer Angie Spoto talks about the ideal grief nurse
