The Book of Shadows

"Scarred by her lover's suicide and an acid attack, which has left her permanently disfigured, Rachita Tiwari seeks refuge in a remote and rambling house in the Himalayan foothills, built by a foolhardy missionary over a hundred years ago. Alone, except for the company of an ancient and mysterious manservant, she is careful not to look into mirrors and is fearful of a world she no longer trusts, painting and repainting her nails a bright red. Soon, a different dimension claims her, as she is living with the legacy of a host of fascinating spirits. There is the vain fool Captain Wolcott and his tragically sensuous mistress, Dona Rosa, ‘of the wandering heart'; the doomed lovers, Marcus and Munro, disciples of Aleister Crowley, infamous dabbler in black magic; and Father Benedictus, the ‘seeker of knowledge'. Above them all, the resident ghost of the house speaks after a century of silence to this wounded woman—words which return her to herself. Part Gothic, part erotic romance, The Book of Shadows is a powerful study in alienation by one of our master storytellers, moving expertly between the past, the present and what lies beyond. "