‘Are all houses like the families that live in them? [...] The grand mansion now diminished, shrivelled into a single floor. Secrets partitioned away behind dividing walls. Crumbling plaster and the smell of dry rot, prolly concealed with lavender bags.’
In this engrossing story about whether or not vengeful spirits exist – and whether mediums can control them or not – Lowkis cleverly keeps a lot of ambiguity and space for doubt even in first person perspectives. The sisters know they are fraudsters, yes, but ones who seem to believe in the potential for positive transformation in the real world as a result of their theatrics (as well as, conveniently, getting money for themselves). The spirit of their gifted dead mother continues to haunt them, as much as the past lives they try to hide from polite society. At a high stakes moment in the story, Lowkis shifts the perspective to another character which allows the reader to see Sylvie in a completely different way, making us question the truth of what we thought we knew all over again. We are kept guessing at who is being deceived and who is deceiving in this brilliantly twisty mystery.
Paris, 1866. When Baroness Sylvie Devereux receives a house-call from Charlotte Mothe, the sister she disowned, she fears her shady past as a spirit medium has caught up with her. But with their father ill and Charlotte unable to pay his bills, Sylvie is persuaded into one last con.
Their marks are the de Jacquinots: dysfunctional aristocrats who believe they are haunted by their great aunt, brutally murdered during the French Revolution.
Sylvie and Charlotte will need to deploy every trick to terrify the family out of their gold – until they experience inexplicable horrors themselves.
The sisters start to question if they really are at the mercy of a vengeful spirit. And what other deep, dark secrets threaten to come to light...?
Spitting Gold is a darkly atmospheric and propulsive historical debut that twists and turns, blending gothic mystery with a captivating sapphic romance
'A compelling and atmospheric story of sisterhood and female agency, SPITTING GOLD is an evocative gothic tale where nothing is quite what it seems.' - Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of PANDORA
