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Fifteen-year-old Natasha has always believed she was special. When strange lights appear in the sky above her small seaside town, Natasha finds herself at the centre of a mystery. Where have the lights come from, and what do they mean for the town's inhabitants?
Meanwhile, Natasha's mother, Elizabeth, a beautiful but vulnerable artist, falls in love with their lodger, Mr Bowen. Natasha is convinced that this relationship can only bring Elizabeth unhappiness, and she will do anything in her power to protect her mother.
As portents of doom gather, unorthodox psychiatrist Dr Seymour Black arrives in the town, determined to uncover the truth, no matter the cost to others.
In this darkly beguiling story, threaded with fading seaside grandeur and simmering heat, the actions of one teenage girl lead will lead to terrible consequences...
About the author
Rachel Donohue graduated from University College, Dublin, in Philosophy and Politics before embarking on a career in communications and media relations. Her short fiction has been published in the Irish Times, Irish Independent and at RTE online (Irish national broadcaster). In 2017, she won the prestigious Hennessy New Irish Writer of the Year Award for her short fiction. Her debut novel, The Temple House Vanishing was an Irish Times bestseller.
Summary
'Poetic, atmospheric' Daily Mail
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Foresight is not always a gift...
The summer Natasha Rothwell turns fifteen, strange dancing lights appear in the sky above her small town, lights that she interprets as portents of doom.
Natasha leads a sheltered life with her beautiful, bohemian mother in a crumbling house by the sea. As news of the lights spreads, more and more visitors arrive in the town, creating a feverish atmosphere of anticipation and dread. And the arrival of a new lodger, the handsome Mr Bowen, threatens to upset the delicate equilibrium between mother and daughter.
Then Natasha's fears seem to be realized when a local teenager goes missing, and she is called on to help. But her actions over that long, hot summer will have unforeseen and ultimately tragic consequences that will cast a shadow for many years to come...
Foreword
This perfect slice of Summer Gothic is a darkly beguiling coming-of-age tale, threaded with fading seaside glamour and simmering heat, from the Irish Times bestselling author of The Temple House Vanishing.
