The Bone Flower

A deliciously Gothic and atmospheric novel, one for fans of Susan Hill and Andrew Michael Hurley, by Polari-prize shortlisted writer Charles Lambert'A writer who never ceases to surprise' Jenny Offill, author of Weather On a grey November evening in Victorian London, Edward Monteith, a moneyed but listless young man, stokes the fire at his local gentleman's club, listening to its members: scientists, explorers and armchair philosophers discussing their supernatural experiences and their theories of life after death. Edward is taken under the wing of some sceptics and attends a supposed seance where he is captivated by a beautiful young woman selling flowers outside the theatre. What follows is a quintessential Gothic novel, a ghost story, and an uncanny love story.Soon Edward and Settie, the mixed-race Romani traveller are deeply in love, but their bond is threated by the inescapable class system of Victorian society. When Settie falls pregnant Edward panics. Afraid of their fate if he is cut off by his father, he makes a drastic decision with dire consequences.Less than two years later Edward is married. His large country house is adorned with orange trees and his young Sicilian wife is awaiting the birth of their first child. But the past he is desperate to forget won't be laid to rest.