En esta ocasión en “Lecturas para compartir” os recomendamos una novela de suspense en su edición inglesa, The Unseen, de la escritora británica Katherine Webb.
En una pequeña villa inglesa a comienzos del siglo XX, la idílica vida del Reverendo Albert Canning y su joven esposa, Hester, se verá alterada con la llegada de dos extraños peligrosos: Cat, la nueva sirvienta, y Robin Durant, un experto en ocultismo que busca alcanzar su prestigio y reconocimiento por medio de engaños y mentiras.
Con el trascurso de los meses, tendrá lugar una sucesión de extraños sucesos que desatarán una tormenta de ambición, amor y celos, que culminará en asesinato.
Si con su primera novela debut, El Legado, consiguió situarse en los primeros puestos de superventas; con “The Unseen”, Katherine Webb crea una historia inolvidable donde explora temas como el amor, la decepción, la obsesión y la ilusión. Su obra que no tiene nada que envidiar a las de Kate Morton o Diane Setterfield, llegó a vender hasta 50.000 ejemplares en sólo su primera edición, y se convirtió enseguida en un gran éxito internacional.
No nos cabe duda de que “The Unseen”, una ficción donde ninguno de sus personajes muestra su verdadero rostro, os va a enganchar desde la primera hasta su última página.
May 14th, 1911
Dearest Amelia,
It’s the most glorious spring morning here, on a day of some excitement. The new maid arrives today—Cat Morley. I have to admit to feeling a touch of nerves, such is the reputation which precedes her, but then I’m sure she can’t be all bad. Albert was not at all sure about the appointment, but I managed to persuade him with a two-pronged argument, thus: That it would be an act of commendable Christian charity for us to take her on when surely nobody else will; and also that because of her reputation we would be obliged to pay her very little, and she would therefore represent a sound household investment. We are doubling our household staff at virtually no increase in expense! I received a letter of introduction from the housekeeper at Broughton Street—Mrs. Heddingly—giving a list of duties with which the girl is familiar and also urging me not to let her read “for all our sakes.” I am not sure what she means by this, but I find it generally wise to heed advice given by those in the know. She—Mrs. Heddingly—also passes on a peculiar rumor about the girl. I can’t think why she chooses to mention it and can only assume a love of gossip—that the identity of Cat’s father is the subject of much speculation, and that it has been whispered, taking account of the dark tones of her skin and hair, that he may have been a Negro. Apparently, the other staff at Broughton Street took to calling her Black Cat after this story got about. Well, I’m certain that the girl’s mother, however low her station, would not stoop to such degradation, unless she was the victim of a most heinous crime. And that her poor daughter should go under such an ill-luck name hardly seems fair. I will not hear her called it again, I am quite resolved.
