In the end, Josie and Eli truly cannot be together, but they (and a large number of ghosts) do manage to put a stop to the ghastly and murderous deeds committed by Brindle’s citizens. The transition of Josie’s opinion of Eli from pearl-clutching how-dare-he to ardent love-of-my-life is a bit sudden, but it’s in keeping with the novel’s overall tone of heightened drama. Bunting uses the Scottish coast to great effect, making the lashing rain, gloomy fog, and howling wind characters in their own right. An innocent heroine, a brooding hero, a gloomy and atmospheric setting-all the elements of a classic gothic are superbly deployed here. She is certain, however, after witnessing a horrific nighttime scene at the beach, that her aunt and uncle are up to no good and that Eli knows something about it. Several people, including Eli’s grandmother, tell Josie he is “forbidden” but what exactly that means, she does not know. She meets Eli Stuart and, despite his initial forwardness (he carries a stockingless Josie to his grandmother’s house after Josie is bitten by her aunt’s vicious dog), she finds him a kind, albeit odd, companion. Uncle Caleb and Aunt Minnie are less than welcoming, as are the other residents of Brindle, who are suspicious and sometimes downright hostile toward Josie. After influenza takes her parents in 1807, sixteen-year-old Josie Ferguson moves from Edinburgh to stay with her aunt and uncle on the Scottish coast.
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