I dove straight into Priory having just experienced Becky’s gothic masterpiece, Mr Stoker & I, and it did nothing but solidify my belief in and admiration of her writing.
I found an interesting consistency of tone between the two novels; I felt like there was a signature to her style that would have allowed me to connect the two stories to the same author, and yet I felt like I was being led into an entirely different world from the first book – and I was.
Whereas Mr Stoker and I is essentially a period piece, Priory takes place in two time periods: 1979 and present day. This is a device I thoroughly enjoy, particularly in character-driven stories such as this. We are given such a full, vivid portrait of Oliver Hardacre, made all the more complete with these dual timeframes, and yet Becky still manages to leave us with enough questions so as to set up the novel’s sequel, which I believe is coming this year.
Overall I was captivated right up to the last sentence, and as with the previous novel of Becky’s I read, was hanging onto every word, straining from the page every last drop of information I could about the fascinating characters within.
A superb job once again from an author whose work you very much deserve in your life.