I am not a huge fan of Gothic literature, or anything to do with the supernatural but was persuaded to buy Wayward due to its pretty book cover and many promising reviews.

Emilia Hart’s debut novel, which came out in 2023, centres upon three women Kate, Violet and Altha in three very different periods of history. Linking them is Wayward Cottage located in the Cumbrian village of Crow’s Nest.

It took me a little while to feel fully emersed in this book due to the complexity of the three different stories – however once I settled into it I really enjoyed it. 

Give me a nod to the Brontes and I’m a happy reader so I was particularly thrilled with the inclusion of the character Miss Poole, large mansions and the ‘mad’ women in the attic – there may have been more Jane Eyre references but these were the ones I noticed. 

I also discovered that I really like historical fiction and I found it fascinating to learn about the challenges faced by women across time.

Men do not really fair well in this book, most of them exacerbate and are the reason for the traumas these women face. There are however the odd exception.

Despite my reservations Wayward is really a great read. It felt realistic despite the supernatural aspect which actually only felt like a sprinkling to enhance the story rather than the story itself. 

Really enjoyable and I’m keen to read Hart’s follows up novel Sirens.