THE UPSTAIRS ROOM

Kate Murray-Browne Loot.co.za (R256) Picador

UPTIGHT Eleanor and restless Richard have ploughed everything into a house in East London. Richard adores it, but Eleanor is not so sure.

There’s a weird atmosphere on the top floor and deranged scribbles hint all was not well with their predecessors.

Money is tight, so they get a lodger – the slightly tarty, unfocused Zoe.

She’s Eleanor’s absolute opposite, but who is Eleanor these days?

What is upstairs? The tension tightens to a spectacular conclusion, but is the thing in the attic real evil, or just an accretion of everyone’s bad side?

This superbly written debut offers a Turn Of The Screw-ish take on the domestic horror genre.