Uncle Silas (Paperback, New Ed)

A world of spirits, a locked cabinet, an abduction, past secrets that spill into the present combine to make Uncle Silas, Le Fanu's most celebrated novel of sensation. From the moment that Madame de la Rougierre is hired as governess to the young, naïve Maud Ruthyn, a dark cloud of foreboding hangs over the entire household. A liar, a bully and a spy, Madame eventually leaves, taking her dark secret with her.

But unhappily for Maud, that is not the last of Madame de la Rougierre. For when Maud is orphaned she is sent to live with her Uncle Silas, her father's mysterious brother, a man with a scandalous - even murderous - past. Here she encounters Madame once more. This time her sinister role in Maud's destiny is all too clear.

With its subversion of reality and illusion and its depiction of the 'filmy layers' of Maud's passions and fears, Uncle Silas goes beyond the bounds of the conventional horror story to become a chilling psychological thriller.

This edition contains an introduction, chronology and explanatory notes.