The Temptation of Charlotte North
Margaret’s Keep is a small island owned almost entirely by the Norths. Three of their daughters are respectful of their parents, while second-born Charlotte is utterly defiant. In 1910, Charlotte is, as usual, locked in the shed by her mother, and watches as an earthquake demolishes Margaret’s Tower, an old stone structure allegedly built to house an insane wife. Grim legend surrounds the tower, and its destruction foreshadows wickedness.
Sixteen-year-old Charlotte is besotted with Reverend Jasper Hill. It’s no reflection on her if he’s married! When inexplicable events endanger the Norths, they take pains to protect their reputation. Charlotte hears unidentified knocking in the walls and convinces everyone she’s communicating with the ‘knocker’, although the family and staff believe they are all being targeted by evil. Mrs North continues to confine Charlotte, blaming her for all ills. up. Inside the shed Charlotte finds new ways to talk to the knocker. The imminent arrival from the mainland, of elder sister Evelyn’s fiancé means Charlotte’s behaviour may become the subject of rumour and censure, ending the betrothal. Charlotte is moved to the reverend’s house, where godly stewardship could be a last resort.
Schoolteacher Ruth Russell and geologist Benjamin West have both experienced supernatural happenings on North property. Ruth entangles herself in the reverend’s dealings with Charlotte and this interference leads beyond their control.
Charlotte, Jasper and Ruth narrate their own versions of events, as they occur or after the fact. The eerie atmosphere is intensified by the isolated early 20th-century setting and explores the lengths to which families will go to protect their own interests. Charlotte is a naïve yet complex girl seeking self-determination, but despite being unloved by her mother, she is hard to sympathise with overall. This haunting story of obscure mental unwinding and the power of delusion concludes in an unpredictable way.
