The Eighth House
A mother, a murder, an obsession
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The Eighth House
Narrated by:
Olivia Darnley
Buy Now for £14.51
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Narrated by:
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Olivia Darnley
In the archives of the national library, a researcher named Linda sees a nine year-old girl's face in the pages of a yellowed newspaper, and the seed of an obsession is planted in her mind.
Birgitta Sivander was brutally murdered one night in May 1948. The culprit was never found. Linda feels a deep connection to Birgitta, and in the months that follow she compulsively researches the case.
Meanwhile, a life is taking root inside Linda; she is to have a daughter of her own. As she grapples with the wonder and anxiety of motherhood, she gradually pieces together Birgitta's story, closing in on the possible killer.
Driven to redeem a lost child, Linda must find a way to lay Birgitta to rest. Moving and unputdownable, The Eighth House is a shattering examination of why cycles of violence persist, and an invocation of the hope that new life brings.
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Critic reviews
'Linda Segtnan audaciously faces her own worst fears as a mother in a book at once devastatingly moving, rigorously thoughtful and sweepingly ambitious' (Lara Feigel)
'Evocative and poetic. The Eighth House contrasts all the hope that comes with bringing life into the world with the terror of knowing the danger that can lie ahead. The result is fascinating, chilling and utterly haunting' (Catherine Cho)
'Brilliant. Incisive and unique, sometimes sad, but always clear-sighted and gripping' (Sara Baume)
'Thoroughly researched and philosophically vigorous, it is an alarmingly compulsive read' (Alice Kinsella)
'A daring debut'
'At once a frank, compelling, and rigorous account of a terrible murder, and a haunting depiction of a mother's ferocious love. I could not put The Eighth House down.' (Ellena Savage)
'The Eighth House is a story about love and love's failures, both terrible and true. Segtnan writes with such clarity and moral precision. An important contribution to the literature of motherhood' (Clare Pollard)
'This is an extraordinary book. It moves in and around you like a ghost. I feel lucky to have experienced it' (Daisy Johnson)
'An extraordinary book, I was captivated.' (Sarah Tarlow)
'A wonderful book; a quest to confront the monsters we make. This is a haunted and haunting story, compellingly told' (Jessica Traynor)
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