Book Synopsis:
Power. Jealousy. Desire.
Twenty-five years ago, a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl and her charismatic teacher disappeared without trace…
When Louisa arrives at Temple House, an elite catholic boarding school, she quickly finds herself drawn to sophisticated fellow pupil Victoria and their young bohemian art teacher, Mr Lavelle. The three of them from a bond that seems to offer an escape from the repressive regime of the nuns who run the cloistered school. Until Louisa and Mr Lavelle suddenly disappear without trace.
Years later, a journalist with a childhood connection to Louisa determines to resolve the mystery. Her search for the truth will uncover a tragic, mercurial tale of suppressed desire and long-buried secrets. It will shatter lives and lay a lost soul to rest.
The Temple House Vanishing is a stunning, intensely atmospheric novel of unrequited longing, dark obsession and unintended consequences.
The Temple House Vanishing will be published in ebook and hardback on the 20th February 2020. You can pre-order your copy using the link below.
My Review:
I thought this was an absolutely superb read that I raced through in a couple of days, often hiding away from the kids as I was desperate to read a few more pages!
Firstly I thought the descriptions of Temple House school were very realistic, with accurate depictions of the type of people you find in a boarding school. I actually attended a boarding school from aged 9 -16 and met some of the girls described. The feeling of not fitting in as you’re not posh enough or pretty enough is also quite real too, so I found myself sympathising with Louisa a lot throughout the book.
The story does start off a bit slowly and it took me a bit of time to get used to the writing style but I was soon hooked and found it near impossible to out down. It is hinted from the beginning that something wrong happened and this intrigued me from the start, making me want to keep reading to find out what it was. I loved watching the relationship between Louisa and Victoria develop, especially as they only seemed to have each other as friends making their friendship a very interesting one.
The story is split into sections with one following Louisa’s story and the other following the journalist as she tries to solve the mystery of the mysterious vanishing. I found this very interesting and while I did prefer Louisa’s story I did enjoy finding out what had happened from a neutral observer which is what the journalist helps provide.
Overall I thought this was a gripping, absorbing read which had a bit of a gothic feel to it. I had lot of guesses about what had happened but was proven completely wrong and the ending took me completely by surprise which I always love. It reminded me a bit of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier at times, especially the first line, so if you liked that book I think you’ll like this one too.
Huge thanks to Charlotte Walker from Love Reading for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Kirsty from Corvus for my copy of this book which is going on my keep forever shelf!
About The Author:
Rachel Donohue graduated from University College, Dublin, in Philosophy and Politics before embarking on a career in communications and media relations. She lives in Dublin, and The Temple House Vanishing is her first novel.
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