Dark delights with The Darkling
Here's my review of RB Chesterton's (aka Carolyn Haines') The Darkling: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
See more on RB Chesterton at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
The Darkling is haunting, unique and beautifully told. With edge-of-your-seat tension, a shocking twist about the main characters Mimi and Annie, and a surprise ending, it has all the twists and turns a great horror should have. The book touches on questions of sanity and the unseen, keeping the reader in constant suspense. Nothing is as it seems and the nefarious undercurrent will keep the hair on the back of your neck on high alert.
It’s hard not to love the Alabama setting, rich history and fabulous characterisation. Steeped in Southern traditions and ghostly descriptions, the book is charming as well as chilling. The ‘70s setting and the description of the estate really took me into a different time and place. The scene-setting was flourished with food descriptions that made me yearn for the South.
Carolyn Haines, who wrote this book under the pen name RB Chesterton, is an expert wordsmith with shades of Daphne du Maurier in her writing style. It’s easy to see how Carolyn has published 67 books and won awards for her writing. From the first words I was swept away by the mesmerising turn of phrase and exquisite storytelling. Haines instantly cocoons you in the story and makes you feel as though you’re really there. The use of first-person narration, a style of writing that is hard to do well, for Mimi is engaging and draws you further into the story. The book hits emotional notes where it should and gives the reader just the right amount of downtime to get to know the characters and let the story and creepiness absorb right in.
I was thrilled to find this modern gothic tale. Some writers use a break-neck pace to throw you off the scent of a poorly written book or to distract you from gaping holes in the storyline. It’s such a pleasure to read an author who knows how to weave a horror tale properly without having to resort to this or to other gimmicks. In today’s world where constant exhausting action is given precedence above the essential elements of story, depth and writing ability, it was fantastic to sink into a book that reflects all the qualities literature was once (and should still be) valued for. If more people wrote like Haines there would be less need for readers such as myself to have to plunder our already disintegrating-from-overuse Victorian gothic horror stocks for the 50th time in order to get a satisfying read.
For readers over the age of thirty who roll their eyes at the horror market’s laser focus on high action and constant gore at the expense of story and substance, this book is a breath of fresh air. Some younger readers seeking instant gratification and high action may find the delightful subtleties and wonderful prose are lost on them, but I’d encourage anyone who likes a good scare to give it a read. If you love classic gothic horror, enjoy a damn good ghost story and appreciate exceptional writing, this book creates a world you won’t want to leave – however scary it may be.
See more on RB Chesterton at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
The Darkling is haunting, unique and beautifully told. With edge-of-your-seat tension, a shocking twist about the main characters Mimi and Annie, and a surprise ending, it has all the twists and turns a great horror should have. The book touches on questions of sanity and the unseen, keeping the reader in constant suspense. Nothing is as it seems and the nefarious undercurrent will keep the hair on the back of your neck on high alert.
It’s hard not to love the Alabama setting, rich history and fabulous characterisation. Steeped in Southern traditions and ghostly descriptions, the book is charming as well as chilling. The ‘70s setting and the description of the estate really took me into a different time and place. The scene-setting was flourished with food descriptions that made me yearn for the South.
Carolyn Haines, who wrote this book under the pen name RB Chesterton, is an expert wordsmith with shades of Daphne du Maurier in her writing style. It’s easy to see how Carolyn has published 67 books and won awards for her writing. From the first words I was swept away by the mesmerising turn of phrase and exquisite storytelling. Haines instantly cocoons you in the story and makes you feel as though you’re really there. The use of first-person narration, a style of writing that is hard to do well, for Mimi is engaging and draws you further into the story. The book hits emotional notes where it should and gives the reader just the right amount of downtime to get to know the characters and let the story and creepiness absorb right in.
I was thrilled to find this modern gothic tale. Some writers use a break-neck pace to throw you off the scent of a poorly written book or to distract you from gaping holes in the storyline. It’s such a pleasure to read an author who knows how to weave a horror tale properly without having to resort to this or to other gimmicks. In today’s world where constant exhausting action is given precedence above the essential elements of story, depth and writing ability, it was fantastic to sink into a book that reflects all the qualities literature was once (and should still be) valued for. If more people wrote like Haines there would be less need for readers such as myself to have to plunder our already disintegrating-from-overuse Victorian gothic horror stocks for the 50th time in order to get a satisfying read.
For readers over the age of thirty who roll their eyes at the horror market’s laser focus on high action and constant gore at the expense of story and substance, this book is a breath of fresh air. Some younger readers seeking instant gratification and high action may find the delightful subtleties and wonderful prose are lost on them, but I’d encourage anyone who likes a good scare to give it a read. If you love classic gothic horror, enjoy a damn good ghost story and appreciate exceptional writing, this book creates a world you won’t want to leave – however scary it may be.
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