The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Short summary

5 seconds

Margaret Lee interviews Vida Winter. She learns that the latter is the illegitimate daughter who took the name of her half-sister Adeline, who died in the fire. Vida saved her other sister and her son.

1 minute

Margaret Lee receives an invitation from writer Vida Winter, who agrees to be interviewed for a biography. Margaret arrives at the Yorkshire estate, where a storm has held her up for several days.

Vida begins her story with the story of her mother, Isabella. Her mother died in childbirth. Isabella was left with her father and her brother Charlie, who was sadistic and tormented her sister. Isabella married, was widowed, and returned to the family nest with her two twins, Adeline and Emmeline.

The girls inherited the family’s mental disabilities. Adelina bullied her sister, and Emmeline was a withdrawn child prone to masochism. Their mother was taken to an insane asylum, and the girls were taken care of by servants. Seventeen-year-old Emmeline was molested by a young gardener. From him she gave birth to a boy.

Adeline wanted to kill the child and set a fire. Margaret guessed that there was another sister, Vida. She was the secret daughter of Charlie and Isabella, but not mentally handicapped. When Adeline died in the fire, Vida impersonated her. She took care of Emmeline and her child.