Jessica Mansour-Nahra on her first novel, an eerie gothic psychological thriller, 'The Farm'

When 37-year-old Leila suffers a health tragedy, she doesn't recover as quickly as she expected. Her partner, James, suggests a year away from the city - they'll stay on his family farm, where the wide, open spaces and clean country air will help her come to terms with her grief. But the property is remote and the house oppressive. Leila is disturbed by strange noises, fleeting visions and intrusive dreams. James worries that her medication is causing hallucinations.As Leila's isolation grows amid the haunted landscape, so does her suspicion that she isn't the first woman James has relocated to the farm. Is what she's experiencing real? Or is it all in her head? In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Jessica Mansour-Nahra about the power of imagery to create a ghostly atmosphere, how isolation can lead to heightened sensory experiences, and how a barren, open landscape can contribute to an intense feeling of claustrophobia.