The Bone Flower

by Charles Lambert

Overview

A deliciously Gothic and atmospheric novel, one for fans of Susan Hill and Andrew Michael Hurley

'A writer who never ceases to surprise' Jenny Offill, author of Weather
‘Vivid, atmospheric and utterly compelling' Bridget Collins, author of The Binding

 On a November evening in Victorian London, the moneyed but listless Edward Monteith stokes the fire at his local gentlemen’s club, listening to stories of supernatural experiences and theories of life after death. His curiosity leads him to a séance, where he falls under the spell of a beautiful flower seller. But Victorian society does not look kindly on love between a gentleman of means and a Romani girl, and when he faces being cut off by his family, Edward makes a decision with horrifying consequences. 

 Two years later Edward is married and anticipating the birth of his first child, in a beautiful house lined with orange blossom trees. But the wrongs of the past are not so easily forgotten, and the boundary between the living and the dead begins to thin… A deliciously chilling Gothic novel, The Bone Flower is a deeply human story about guilt, betrayal and the cruelty of social expectations.

A dark, uncanny love story from the author of Polari prize-shortlisted Prodigal and The Children's Home, The Bone Flower will delight fans of Edward Carey and Essie Fox.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781913547271
Publisher:	Gallic Books
Publication date:	08/22/2022
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Charles Lambert is the author of several novels, short stories, and the memoir With a Zero at its Heart, which was voted one of The Guardian readers’ Ten Best Books of the Year in 2014. In 2007, he won an O. Henry Award for his short story The Scent of Cinnamon. His first novel, Little Monsters, was longlisted for the 2010 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. His novel Prodigal was shortlisted for the Polari Prize for LGBTQ writing in 2019. Born in England, Charles Lambert has lived in central Italy since 1980.

Editorial Reviews

‘Dark secrets, forbidden love and a haunting mystery. Written with style and wit, this book is a new classic’ A.J West, author of The Spirit Engineer

‘Vivid, atmospheric and utterly compelling. The Bone Flower satisfies all the demands of a classic ghost story but also pushes it in unusual ways, showing how misogyny and colonialism lurk in the shadows. Charles Lambert walks a subtle, perfect line between genuine horror and macabre beauty’ Bridget Collins, author of The Binding

 ‘A classy ghost story, with just the right amount of atmosphere and subtle scares… If you enjoy Victorian London, ghost stories, or Gothic mysteries, I highly recommend you add this to your reading list’ San Francisco Book Review

‘Perfect for anyone in the mood for something masterfully spooky’ Washington Independent Review of Books

‘An exquisitely eerie and sophisticated Victorian ghost story, with echoes of Poe and M. R. James’ Essie Fox, author of The Somnambulist 

‘A dark, beautiful beast of a book, tender and harrowing, full of cruelties and redemptions, ghosts and orange trees, London in filth and luxury. What a delightful gothic trip this book is, what a joy to have another marvel from the ever-wonderful Charles Lambert’ Edward Carey, author of Little

 ‘An exquisite, a remarkable Gothic… So entirely atmospheric and eerie that I’m convinced the writer is Poe reawakened’ Caroline Smailes, author of The Drowning of Arthur Braxton

Praise for Charles Lambert

‘More delicate than Dickens and stranger than Snicket’  Nuala O’Connor, author of Miss Emily

‘Lambert is undoubtedly a very skilled writer and the reader is immediately engaged and drawn into this family’s world’ TripFiction

‘A visceral novel about a family suffering under the weight of secrets, lies, and things left unsaid’ Foreword Reviews

‘Lambert is a writer full of wit and poignance, especially in portraying the toxicity of White middle-class British society’ Kirkus Reviews

'A writer who never ceases to surprise' Jenny Offill, author of Weather

'Charles Lambert is a terrific, devious storyteller' Owen King, author of Double Feature

'Charles Lambert writes as if his life depends on it. He takes risks at every turn' Hannah Tinti, author of The Good Thief

'Honest, sharp and beautifully written - rare, truthful writing' Ann Cleeves, OBE

From the Publisher