What good is truth…? What you need are the Plump Comforts of a story. The soothing, rocking safety of a lie.

A young writer, Margaret Lea, is asked to write the biography of Vida Winter, a tremendously successful author. Margaret, being an admirer of Vida’s, work jumps at the chance of lifetime and travels to the elderly woman’s stately home. As she listens to Vida’s reminiscences, Margaret becomes involved in an enigmatic puzzle that only she can solve. As secrets are revealed and mysteries are unveiled, Margaret finds herself on her own journey of self-discovery.

Dianne Setterfield’s debut novel is treat for anyone who loves a good old-fashioned gothic story. Setterfield writes a tale that is full of the kind of romance that can only be produced by old books and stately mansions. Family secrets, lost lives and madness haunt every page because Vida Winter lives in a world where the sun never shines and wind and rain pound against every windowpane.

This is a book for people who love Wilkie Collins, Arthur Conan Doyle and the Brontes. This is a book for those who love to hear tales of tortured souls and passionate encounters that do not lead to happiness, but to misery and unwanted children. It is a book for the gothic romantic, a book for those who love all things dark and atmospheric and must be read while sipping wine by open fire on a dark and stormy winter’s night.