The gothic vibes are impeccable in this book. This sapphic tale of two women with histories of pretty awful abuse starts slow but ramps up considerably in Part 3. The author's writing is wonderfully descriptive; like I said, the vibes are perfect. Though the story takes place in the 50s in the Netherlands, the author wrote it to seem much older and spookier; it was almost out of this world because it was so isolating. I especially liked how the author wove transcripts between Roos, our protagonist, and Dr. Montague, a psychologist, throughout the story...it was a cool way to unveil the plot. However (and this is why this wasn't a 5-star read for me), I wish there had been more on the relationship between Roos and her spirit companion Ruth; likewise for the relationship between Agnes and her spirit companion Peter. Ruth played a pretty integral role in events throughout the book, but she seemed like more of a plot device. In some ways, I feel like she could be the protagonist of her own novel (or maybe this story told from her perspective). I wish some of the repetition as it related to the character traits of Roos and Agnes had been replaced with more on Ruth and Peter. This is a great novel where you are constantly wondering if the women in this book are battling severe mental health disorders or if the spirit companions are real...or, I suppose, both. It's definitely earned its place on lists of great gothic literature!