
Our protagonist, Giulia, doesn't say anything as she passes by it, even though her head has been full of Martha since she awoke that morning.

While not wholly unexpected - this is called Martha Is Dead, after all the dead-ness is baked right into the bloody title - the sight of the corpse in the coffin is somehow all the more unsettling given the mundane backdrop of this bright, homely place.

Two oversized, squishy leather chairs bracket a small table upon which a fan oscillates - slowly and without much enthusiasm - blowing a light breeze into the centre of the bright room. Umbrellas sit in a large urn beside the cold marble fireplace, but there's no need for them today today, sunshine pours in through the unshuttered windows and everything it touches is bathed in its golden glow. Though the terracotta floor tiles are worn, and the plaster on the walls is pockmarked with age, it's gorgeous here.
