"She is not mad. But there is something in her that is hospitable to madness."
As I close the file and prepare to write this review, all I can think is, WHAT DID I JUST READ? Certainly the entire story was not what I was expecting even given the hints of the supernatural and Gothic elements within. Yes, it is historical fiction in that the thriller is centered on the very real Titanic and its sister ship, the Britannic. The author says that she was particularly inspired by a memoir written by Violet Jessop, a woman who did survive both disasters. I'm not merely speculating when I say that I'm certain that the events in this novel do not have even a remote connection to that memoir. Many of us are morbidly fascinated by the sinking of the Titanic and the huge loss of life on that terrible night especially given that we've probably read other books or seen the blockbuster film.
The narrative shifts in time between 1912 and 1916 and is told from the point of view of Annie Hebbley, who was first a stewardess on the Titanic and then, 4 years later, a nurse on the Britannic. The story draws you in and the prose sets a mood that makes the reader uncertain about what is really going on in either time period. I enjoyed the descriptions of the famous ships and the goings on of the real famous people who were on the voyage of the Titanic. The activities and thoughts of those historical persons, however, definitely require you to take it all with a huge shaker of salt in this novel. It took quite awhile before all the pieces came together for me and although I enjoyed it well enough, it just all seemed pretty over-the-top crazy to me in the end. Hopefully that won't be your experience!
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP G.P. Putnam's Sons for this e-book ARC to read and review.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - supernatural suspense, historical fiction
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