Power. Jealousy. Desire.
Twenty-five years ago, a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl and her charismatic teacher disappeared without trace…
When Louisa arrives at Temple House, an elite catholic boarding school, she quickly finds herself drawn to sophisticated fellow pupil Victoria and their young bohemian art teacher, Mr Lavelle. The three of them form a bond that seems to offer an escape from the repressive regime of the nuns who run the cloistered school. Until Louisa and Mr Lavelle suddenly vanish.
Years later, a journalist with a childhood connection to Louisa determines to resolve the mystery. Her search for the truth will uncover a tragic, mercurial tale of suppressed desire and long-buried secrets. It will shatter lives and lay a lost soul to rest.
Happy publication day Rachel Donohue for the paperback release of The Temple House Vanishing, published by Corvus Books and an extended thanks to Kirsty for sending me out a gifted finished copy to review, the book aesthetically is gorgeous! This captivating literary fiction is out today in paperback, as well as in other formats previously published. You can purchase your own copy here.
The Temple House Vanishing is set in 1990 when Louisa begins to attend a prestigious all girl’s catholic school that is run by nuns, filled with students whose families traditions include them attending this school – Temple House. Firstly, I’d like to discuss Louisa’s character. She is a scholarship student with a previous ties to Temple House which makes her instantly the outcast beyond the pupils who originate from generations of school alumni and wealthy families. This feeling of being an outlier enhances when her parents marriage begins to breakdown and she no longer feels that she belongs without disappointing the other parent. This vunrability causes her to be drawn in to not only the philosophical of art, but also the art teacher Mr Lavelle and fellow student Victoria. Victoria and Louisa are two sides of a coin, whereas Louisa comes across as shy and unsure of herself, Victoria can be perceived as strong minded, bohemian and also impulsive. Both of these characters become entwined together within the storyline that also connects them with the Temple House pupils favourite, Mr Lavelle.
Rachel Donohue has penned an extraordinarily beautiful literary fiction that has an intoxicating gothic undertone that is perfectly balanced with the slow burning storyline. The Temple House Vanishing would not suit a fast paced storyline, you wouldn’t feel the intensity amongst the characters and the tension of unfolding events if the plotline was fast and punchy, you also wouldn’t get an understanding of the character’s dynamic as well as Louisa as an individual. The novel is written from two main view points, Louisa, as she begins to understand her personal feelings while also leading to the ultimate answer, what happened when she disappeared? The other POV is that of journalist 25 years later, one who lived opposite Louisa as a child and becomes intrigued by the case, trying to get to the bottom of how two people, a student and teacher can just disappear. The journalist’s questioning the events around the disappearance, as well as those before her, is met with silence of a communal nature – no previous pupil is willing to discuss anything which peaked my interest, like a swarm like behaviour while trying to protect the hive – in this case the name of their childhood school. The only person who can help crack the case is Victoria, but will she talk?
I loved the setting of this novel, as well as the dark gothic vibes with a slow burning complex intensity that incorporates forbidden desires, love and obsession, throw in an air or jealousy and I was sold! I read The Temple House Vanishing in one day, I devoured the tense tale, then immediately recommended it to the biggest Donna Tartt fan I know!
Let’s celebrate the paperback publication of this book today, and if it peaks your bookish interest make sure to grab a copy and share all the love on social media – it is a publishing apocalypse today you know!
Until next time,
Happy reading!
The Reading Closet 