Ghosts of Kerfol

In her classic ghost story “Kerfol,” Edith Wharton tells the tale of Anne de Barrigan, a young Frenchwoman convicted of murdering her husband, the jealous Yves de Cornault. The elderly lord was found dead on the stairs, apparently savaged by a pack of dogs, though there were no dogs  —  no live dogs  —  at Kerfol that day. In this remarkable collection of intertwining short stories, Deborah Noyes takes us back to the haunted manor to tell Anne de Barrigan’s story through the sympathetic eyes of her servant girl. Four more tales slip forward in time, peering in on a young artist, a hard-drinking party girl, a young American couple, and a deaf gardener who now tends the Kerfol estate. All of these souls are haunted by the ghosts of Kerfol  —  the dead dogs, the sensual yet uneasy relationships, and the bitter taste of revenge.

Publishers Weekly

In five wonderfully chilling short stories, Noyes (Red Butterfly; Gothic!) pays homage to Edith Wharton's ghost story "Kerfol," about the wealthy Anne de Barrigan-terrorized by a husband who murders her dogs and then is himself murdered by their ghosts. The first entry retells the story from the point of view of the chambermaid Perrette; the following stories march forward chronologically from the original's 17th-century setting but remain at the Kerfol chateau. In suspenseful prose that evolves from Perrette's antique speech ("I kept close by [Milady], especially when the moon swelled and paw prints dotted the mud round the moat come morning") to a contemporary perspective, Noyes follows four more unsuspecting and vulnerable victims as they enter Kerfol, now filthy with neglect, where their thoughts are overtaken by the voices and visions of those long dead. Ghost dogs appear from nowhere; the evil, twisted Yves de Cornault inspires terror from the grave; and the still beautiful spirit of Anne haunts the estate. Readers will be eager to know how next this house and its ghosts wreak havoc-and even death-on those unlucky enough to darken its doorstep. Ages 14-up. (Aug.)

Deborah Noyes is the editor of the young adult anthologies Gothic! and The Restless Dead. She is also the author of Red Butterfly, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, and Hana in the Time of the Tulips, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.