The Fate of Mary Rose, Caroline Blackwood

Oh wow, this was very dark and brooding and icky.

The murder of a young girl sends a Kentish village, where Mary Rose lives with her spectral, neurotic mother and is occasionally visited by her father, into disarray. The preceding and proceeding events are told from the perspective of Rowan, Mary Rose's father, who was blind-drunk on the night of the murder and cannot remember his whereabouts.

Rowan, is a bit of a Humbert Humbert figure in the sense that he's detestable whilst horribly compelling. His estranged wife, Cressida, is equally, intriguingly unlikeable.

A slow and gut-wrenching reveal is stretched out for almost the entirety of the novel. This is a mystery, but veers towards gothic psychological horror in parts.

Not for the faint of heart. Excellent.