Emily Critchley’s “The Undoing of Violet Claybourne” is a masterfully crafted gothic mystery that unfolds like a fever dream across time, transporting readers to the snow-blanketed grounds of Thornleigh Hall in the winter of 1938. This captivating novel explores the dangerous allure of belonging and the devastating consequences of misplaced loyalty, all within the decaying grandeur of an aristocratic English estate.
Through the eyes of fifteen-year-old Gillian Larking, we witness the magnetic pull of the Claybourne sisters—the ethereal, calculating Emmeline; the vibrant, troubled Laura; and the strange, ritualistic Violet—and how a single tragic accident spirals into decades of deception, institutionalization, and guilt. Critchley weaves a tale that spans sixty years, examining how one winter’s events reverberate through the lives of her characters and culminate in a chilling act of retribution.
Faded Grandeur: Setting and Atmosphere
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is Critchley’s evocative portrayal of Thornleigh Hall—a crumbling manor house with turrets, a lake, beech woods, and dusty rooms filled with taxidermy and faded family portraits. The setting becomes a character in itself, its decay mirroring the moral deterioration of its inhabitants:
“When Thornleigh Hall finally came into view, my breath caught in my throat. It was far grander than I had imagined. Built in a sandy grey stone, the house was bristling with turrets and spires and appeared to be made up of various different sections all stuck together.”
The winter landscape—the frozen lake, the snow-covered park, the bare trees—creates an atmosphere of isolation and entrapment. This gothic setting provides the perfect backdrop for the psychological drama that unfolds, with Critchley skillfully using the environment to amplify tensions and reflect the characters’ emotional states.
Class and Privilege: Thematic Complexity
Beneath the surface of this mystery lies a nuanced exploration of class divisions in pre-war England. Through Gilly’s outsider perspective, we witness the stark contrasts between the privileged Claybournes and those who serve them. Critchley deftly illustrates how wealth and status create a sense of entitlement and impunity:
“Would any of it have happened at all, I wonder, if Lady Claybourne, less concerned about social appearances, had let Emmeline and Laura ride that morning? Or did it happen because of a man who, sitting in the schoolroom one morning, decided to put his hand on his pupil’s knee just because he could?”
The novel examines how class and gender intersect to create systems of power that protect some while sacrificing others. The Claybournes’ ability to reshape narratives and eliminate inconvenient truths—whether by institutionalizing Violet or manipulating the justice system to incriminate Frank Marks—reflects the insidious nature of privilege in pre-war British society.
Character Development: Complexity and Evolution
Critchley excels at creating complex, morally ambiguous characters whose motivations and actions defy simple categorization:
Gillian Larking – Our protagonist evolves from a naive schoolgirl desperate to belong to a woman haunted by complicity and regret. Her journey from passive observer to active participant in the Claybournes’ machinations is compelling, if sometimes frustrating.
The Claybourne Sisters – Each sister represents a different response to trauma and expectation:
Emmeline embodies cold calculation and preservation of status at any cost
Laura oscillates between rebellion and conformity, ultimately broken by guilt
Violet, whose “undoing” forms the novel’s emotional core, reveals unexpected depths of endurance and vengeance
Secondary Characters – Even minor characters like Frank Marks, Robin, and Lord Claybourne are rendered with psychological complexity, their motivations and secrets gradually revealed through Critchley’s measured storytelling.
The novel’s psychological depth comes from how these characters interact across time, their relationships evolving as secrets are buried and then exhumed decades later.
Narrative Structure: Past and Present
The novel’s structure—shifting between 1938, 1942-43, and 1999—creates a powerful sense of how the past continually shapes the present. Critchley masterfully controls these temporal shifts, using them to build suspense and gradually uncover layers of deception.
This non-linear approach enhances the mystery elements while also highlighting how memory functions: sometimes crystalline in its clarity, other times warped by time and self-preservation. The older Gillian’s retrospective narration adds poignancy to the events as they unfold, her mature perspective coloring our understanding of her youthful choices.
A Critical Perspective: Where the Novel Falters
Despite its considerable strengths, “The Undoing of Violet Claybourne” occasionally stumbles:
The pacing in the middle section sometimes drags, particularly during Laura and Gillian’s wartime experiences in London
Some coincidences strain credibility, especially regarding how characters reconnect decades later
Certain revelations about Emmeline’s past feel slightly telegraphed rather than genuinely surprising
The final act’s shift into more explicit revenge territory, while narratively satisfying, somewhat simplifies the moral ambiguity that makes earlier sections so compelling
These issues, however, don’t significantly diminish the novel’s emotional impact or thematic resonance.
Prose and Style: Elegant and Atmospheric
Critchley’s prose is elegant without being ostentatious, perfectly suited to the period setting. Her ability to create atmosphere through sensory detail is particularly noteworthy:
“The woods were as still as a painting. Shafts of sunlight streamed down through the gaps in the trees, illuminating reddish ferns, frozen leaves. Snow-laden branches fixed against the paper-white sky.”
The narrative voice shifts subtly between young Gillian’s immediate impressions and elderly Gillian’s reflective wisdom, creating a layered perspective that enriches the storytelling. Critchley excels at dialogue that reveals character while remaining true to the era, and her descriptions of Thornleigh Hall create a vivid sense of place that lingers long after reading.
Psychological Depth: Memory and Denial
At its heart, this novel explores how people justify their worst actions and the psychological mechanisms of denial, rationalization, and selective memory. Critchley portrays with uncomfortable accuracy how easily ordinary people can become complicit in cruelty when seeking acceptance:
“People often say of a painful memory or experience, that it ‘belongs to the past’. Does it? I wonder. In my experience, the past does not readily absorb what we would prefer to forget: our less than fine moments.”
The exploration of institutional abuse and gaslighting through Violet’s experience at Bancroft Hospital adds another layer of psychological horror to the narrative, highlighting how societal structures can enable and perpetuate traumatic cycles.
In Literary Context: Gothic Traditions
“The Undoing of Violet Claybourne” sits comfortably among contemporary gothic mysteries while honoring the tradition’s literary roots. Readers who enjoy Sarah Waters’ “The Little Stranger,” Diane Setterfield’s “The Thirteenth Tale,” or Ruth Ware’s “The Death of Mrs. Westaway” will find similar pleasures here.
The novel also recalls classic gothic works like Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca” and Shirley Jackson’s “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” in its exploration of isolation, family secrets, and the psychological effects of guilt. Critchley’s previous work, “One Puzzling Afternoon,” demonstrated her skill with mysteries, but this novel shows greater ambition and depth.
Final Assessment: A Memorable Gothic Mystery
“The Undoing of Violet Claybourne” succeeds as both a period mystery and a psychological study of class, complicity, and consequence. The novel’s greatest achievement is how it makes readers complicit in Gillian’s choices—we understand her desire to belong even as we recognize the moral compromises she makes.
While not without flaws, the novel’s atmospheric setting, complex characterization, and unflinching examination of privilege and power make it a compelling read. Critchley has crafted a story that lingers in the mind like a half-remembered dream, raising uncomfortable questions about loyalty, truth, and justice.
For readers who appreciate gothic mysteries with psychological depth and historical texture, “The Undoing of Violet Claybourne” offers a haunting journey into the darkness that can lurk behind privilege’s polished facade. It confirms Critchley as a skilled novelist with a talent for creating atmospheric, morally complex narratives that challenge and disturb in equal measure.