An intriguing novel that explores the ramifications of abuse and neglect via the deceptively beguiling setting of a French chateau. While this book wasn't really my cup of tea, I appreciated the immersive qualities of the setting and I would recommend it to readers who enjoy historical gothic novels and dark coming-of-age stories. I also found Phoebe Wynne's writing much improved compared to her debut, Madam.

Possible spoilers.

There were several times I didn't think I was going to make it to the end of the book.

The adult characters were just awful. The neglect and harshness the the girls was one thing, turning a blind eye to abuse just another.
When they weren't being bad parents, they were squabbling like children themselves.
So very unlikeable... and that had a knock on effect of me not enjoying the story very much at all.
I got to the end , as my curiosity as to the incident was too great.
I didnt enjoy this book I'm afraid.

#TheRuins #NetGalley
Awesome.
Amidst the glamour of the French Riviera lies the crumbling façade of Chateau de Sètes, a small slice of France still held by the British aristocracy. But this long since abandoned chateau is now up for sale, and two people are desperate to get their hands on it despite its terrible history. Summer, 1985: Ruby has stayed at the chateau with her family every summer of her twelve years. It was her favourite place to be, away from the strictures of her formal childhood, but this year uninvited guests have descended, and everything is about to change... As the intense August heat cloaks the chateau, the adults within start to lose sight of themselves. Old disputes are thrown back and forth, tempers rise, morals loosen, and darkness begins to creep around them all. Ruby and her two young friends soon discover it is best not to be seen or heard as the summer spirals down to one fateful night and an incident that can never be undone...
Summer, 2010: One of the three young girls, now grown and newly widowed, returns to the chateau, and in her fight to free herself from its grip, she uncovers what truly happened that long, dark summer.
I loved it so much. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for giving me an advance copy.