Celia Fremlin moderniseerde de traditie van de sensatieroman door huiselijke omgevingen te doordrenken met elementen van misdaad en het bovennatuurlijke. Haar werk wordt gekenmerkt door een uniek perspectief op de duistere kanten van het dagelijks leven en ogenschijnlijk gewone situaties. Fremlin onderzocht complexe relaties en karakterpsychologie met scherp inzicht en spanning, en trok lezers mee in meeslepende verhalen vol wendingen. Haar literaire bijdrage ligt in het actualiseren van het genre voor een hedendaags publiek.
Katharine navigates the challenges of suburban life as an unhappy housewife, feeling discontent with her marriage and employment status. Her sense of solace comes from the struggles of her neighbor, Mary, until Katharine discovers that Mary's situation is far more dire than her own. This revelation forces her to confront the complexities of their lives and the hidden depths of despair that can exist beneath the surface of suburban facades.
The Jealous One (1964), Celia Fremlin's fifth novel, opens on its protagonist Rosamund as she wakes from a mid-morning nap to find, to her delight, that she is running a temperature. Surely that explains her blinding headache, and even the weird, delirious dream in which she had murdered her overly seductive neighbour, Lindy?
Strained mother-child relationships are at the forefront, alongside a compelling exploration of supernatural and psychological elements. The author weaves these themes together, creating a narrative that examines the complexities of familial bonds while incorporating intriguing supernatural aspects.
'Britain's equivalent to Patricia Highsmith, Celia Fremlin wrote psychological thrillers that changed the landscape of crime fiction for ever: her novels are domestic, subtle, penetrating - and quite horribly chilling.' Andrew TaylorThe Spider-Orchid (1977), Celia Fremlin's tenth novel, is among her most unnerving.
A classic seaside psychological thriller from author of Waterstones Thriller of the Month, Uncle Paul: 'Britain's Patricia Highsmith' and the 'grandmother of psycho-domestic noir' (Sunday Times)'Brilliant ...
Clare Erskine thought it was a wonderful stroke of luck that her 19 year old daughter, Sarah, was engaged to marry an accountant. Sarah would live happily ever after and Clare pull ahead in the unspoken race that mothers run. But beneath the surface of suburban tranquillity, lies a story of a possessive mother and her twisted son.
Ellen Fortescue grapples with anxiety about her impending marriage to Leonard, whose unpredictable temperament complicates their relationship, especially regarding his stepmother, Laura. As tensions rise, Ellen must confront her feelings and the dynamics at play, leading to a deeper exploration of love, commitment, and familial influence.
Louise Henderson is trapped in a nightmare: the baby cries almost all night, every night, and the other children must be gotten off to school . . . Louise is so tired that she is afraid she is becoming psychotic; why does she have this feeling of apprehension, almost of terror? Is it connected with the lodger, a respectable school teacher? What is happening in the Henderson household? This novel, which won an Edgar in 1957, is one to be read in a single sitting.
Yet when Linda gets engaged, Madge starts to feel an intangible peril gathering around the girl. In each of these short, sharp stories, the long- neglected Celia Fremlin brings women's lives into focus - and an ordinary home becomes the setting for a return of the repressed.
Ivor died in a car crash two months ago - she may not be adjusting to widowhood very well, but Imogen certainly didn't murder him. As the nights draw in, Imogen finds her home filling up with unexpected Christmas guests - but they may be looking for more than just holiday cheer.