From the TBR Pile: Blog Tour: The Evening Spider by Emily Arsenault

Author: Emily Arsenault

Publisher: William Morrow

Date of publication: January 2016

1885: Frances Barnett is in the Northampton Lunatic Hospital, telling her story to a visitor. She has come to distrust her own memories, and believes that her pregnancy, birth, and early days of motherhood may have impaired her sanity.

During the earliest months of her baby’s life, Frances eagerly followed the famous murder trial of Mary Stannard—that captivated New Englanders with its salacious details and expert forensic testimony. Following—and even attending—this trial, Frances found an escape from the monotony of new motherhood. But as her story unfolds, Frances must admit that her obsession with the details of the murder were not entirely innocent.

Present day: Abby has been adjusting to motherhood smoothly—until recently, when odd sensations and dreams have begun to unsettle her while home alone with her baby. When she starts to question the house’s history, she is given the diary of Frances Barnett, who lived in the house 125 years earlier. Abby finds the diary disturbing, and researches the Barnett family’s history. The more Abby learns, the more she wonders about a negative—possibly supernatural—influence in her house. She becomes convinced that when she sleeps, she leaves her daughter vulnerable—and then vows not to sleep until she can determine the cause of her eerie experiences.

Frances Barnett might not be the only new mother to lose her mind in this house. And like Frances, Abby discovers that by trying to uncover another’s secrets, she risks awakening some of her own.

The Evening Spider is told in alternating time-lines. We have Abby in the present. She has a 5 MO daughter, Lucy. She is convinced she is hearing sounds coming from her daughter's room at night. As she investigates, she finds out about the first owner, Frances and sets out to see if she is haunting the house. The second time-line is Frances telling her brother the truth about how she ended up in the insane asylum,

I thought this book was very engaging and kept me reading late into the night. I'm still not convinced that it is a real ghost story. It was hard to figure out if Abby was suffering from delusions or if the house really was haunted. I won't give away too much of the plot, you'll have to decide for yourself. Frances's story was the more interesting and surprising of the two. I really felt badly for her. The only thing I didn't really like about the story was the ending. It was a little abrupt and I was still left with some questions. Still, I do recommend giving this one a shot. If you like creepy mysteries, this one will satisfy your craving.

About the author:

Emily Arsenault is also the author of The Broken Teaglass, In Search of the Rose Notes, and Miss Me When I’m Gone. She lives in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, with her husband and daughter.

Find out more about Emily at her website and connect with her on Facebook.

Emily’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, January 26th: No More Grumpy Bookseller