It starts slow, and slightly confusing at times as the storyline hops between (not just 2, but) multiple time periods.
The main character in the modern time period is an archivist who comes across a box with a sketchbook and photo that soon lead her to a mystery surrounding this big home in the countryside. (I don’t even know anymore if this is considered the main character, maybe the house the main character?)
The author tells detailed stories about multiple different characters, so you become invested, and then all of a sudden it frustratingly switches to someone else. It also doesn’t always specify the year when flipping between time periods, which I also found frustrating.
To add to the confusion, one of the characters is a ghost, and uses a pseudonym most of her life.