THE LANTERN, Deborah Lawrenson's first novel to be published in the U.S., combines lyrical prose with two storylines, one present and one past, that will eventually touch. In the present day, Eve and Dom meet and eventually find themselves ensconced in Les Genevriers, a ramshackle farmhouse in Provence. The two enjoy each other and fixing up their enchanting home with hidden crannies and treasures. But once summer moves into autumn, their relationship cools much like the weather.

Dom's ex-wife, Rachel, has always been between them, but Eve's curiosity to know more grows with Dom's insistence not to talk about her. Sabine, a local real estate agent who also knew Rachel, befriends Eve, and eggs her on to discover more about Rachel's story. And Eve finds her home more sinister too; those cozy nooks now seem to hide shadows and secrets.

One of those secrets has to do with the family who used to live there. Benedicte Lincel, who grew up in this house with her family, working the fields and enjoying the sensory experiences of the landscape, narrates the story in the past. We learn of her sadistic brother, the death of her father and the disappearance of her blind sister, a well-known Paris perfumer. As she ages, she, too, sees ghosts in her childhood home: family members and other children come to torment her.

Lawrenson tells the story in alternating chapters, which are hard to distinguish until names are mentioned as neither has a distinctive voice. Personally, I enjoyed Benedicte's story more and could have enjoyed an entire novel just of her tale.

THE LANTERN is said to resemble Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, and while I haven't read that book, I have to say that I didn't find this book at all scary. While I can't say that I connected with either of the main characters very much, Lawrenson writes beautifully. She has an incredible ability to evoke Provence with its lush lavender fields and the wind rippling through the nut trees. Lawrenson's novel moves at a methodical pace; for some, like me, this will be too slow, but for others, this will be just right. I sense this is one of those books that some will love and others will not, but I think all will agree that Lawrenson writes in lyrical prose one can savor.

Book Summary

A modern gothic novel of love, secrets, and murder—set against the lush backdrop of Provence

Meeting Dom was the most incredible thing that had ever happened to me. When Eve falls for the secretive, charming Dom in Switzerland, their whirlwind relationship leads them to Les GenÉvriers, an abandoned house set among the fragrant lavender fields of the South of France. Each enchanting day delivers happy discoveries: hidden chambers, secret vaults, a beautiful wrought-iron lantern. Deeply in love and surrounded by music, books, and the heady summer scents of the French countryside, Eve has never felt more alive.

But with autumn’s arrival the days begin to cool, and so, too, does Dom. Though Eve knows he bears the emotional scars of a failed marriage—one he refuses to talk about—his silence arouses suspicion and uncertainty. The more reticent Dom is to explain, the more Eve becomes obsessed with finding answers—and with unraveling the mystery of his absent, beautiful ex-wife, Rachel.

Like its owner, Les GenÉvriers is also changing. Bright, warm rooms have turned cold and uninviting; shadows now fall unexpectedly; and Eve senses a presence moving through the garden. Is it a ghost from the past or a manifestation of her current troubles with Dom? Can she trust Dom, or could her life be in danger?

Eve does not know that Les GenÉvriers has been haunted before. BÉnÉdicte Lincel, the house’s former owner, thrived as a young girl within the rich elements of the landscape: the violets hidden in the woodland, the warm wind through the almond trees. She knew the bitter taste of heartbreak and tragedy—long-buried family secrets and evil deeds that, once unearthed, will hold shocking and unexpected consequences for Eve.