Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale is a modern gothic novel involving a ghost, twins, incest, housekeepers, absent parents, a topiary garden, and a governess. I thoroughly enjoyed the prose and pacing of this novel. Actually, it was like two novels in one: the narrator's story and Vida's story. There was only one facet of the story that I felt was contrived, but all in all, it didn't really affect how much I enjoyed the book. For lovers of Jane Eyre or 19th century British fiction in general, I would definitely recommend this book!
I read this book a month or so ago and enjoyed it, but I did think there was a contrived element - I bet it was the same thing you saw!
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