Marjorie Bowen's Elsie's Lonely Afternoon

This haunting and unsettling tale delves into the life of little Elsie, a neglected and unwanted orphan, who exists beneath the shadow of her perpetual loneliness.


Exploring themes of abandonment, neglect, and the resilience of the human spirit, Elsie's Lonely Afternoon is a gothic horror tale laced with black humour. Elsie is a young orphan living in a grand house in Hampstead under the care of her bed bound grandmother. Forbidden to speak to the servants, the little girl is quite alone in life.


This volume is part of the Mothers of the Macabre series, celebrating the gothic horror masterpieces of pioneering women writers who played a pivotal role in shaping and advancing the genre. First published in 1933, Marjorie Bowen masterfully explores the the stark contrast between a child's innate need for love and care and the harsh reality of her isolated and uncaring environment.