In this “dark, hypnotic story of romantic obsession,” an elderly woman shares her disturbing secrets with a spellbound young caregiver (The New York Times).
Stuck in a loveless marriage and mired in a troubled affair, Jenny Warner doesn’t have a single friend in whom she can confide. Then she meets Stella Newland, a patient at Middleton Hall, the English manor-house-turned-nursing-home where Jenny works as a caregiver. Unlike most of the other residents, the gracefully dying Stella is elegant, completely lucid, and generously open to hearing all about Jenny’s life. Stella understands; she has her secrets, too.
As their daily confessions become more intimate and revealing, a bond is forged—one born out of the illicit affairs at the heart of their unsettled lives. But there’s much more to Stella’s story, something she’s been afraid to share with anyone, until now. When she gives Jenny the key to her house, it unlocks a maze of mysteries about the heartbreaking and horrifying consequences of love. It’s a discovery—and a warning—that could prove to be Jenny’s salvation, or lead her toward a doomed and inevitable end.
