This is a brilliantly written super-creepy literary horror with real depth. Unusually the only consistent character in this novel is the antagonist and she is excellently evil and scary. The way Barker writes this through interconnected short stories allows the supreme talent of her writing to shine with excellent gothic descriptions and well-fleshed out characters. This novel is smart because, although it is really readable and a very enjoyable horror, there are deep underlying themes about humanity, the evil aspects of humanity from which it feels like there can be no escape contrasting with enduring beauty through art and creation. 
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.