MY DARLING GIRL by Jennifer McMahon
Are you a
bit of a Christmas grinch and don’t like the Hallmark-sweet Christmas books that
everyone seems to love at that time of year – but still want to join in and
choose a seasonal read? Then McMahon’s novel is definitely for you! This book
might be set in the time leading up to Christmas, with all the decorations, the
food, the festivity, but deep down inside there’s nothing jolly about it. In
fact, it’s creepy AF! Buckle up for one scary ride!
Since THE
DROWNING KIND, I have been looking forward to McMahon’s books when I’m in the
mood for a good chill. The thing I love about her writing is the perfect blend
between psychological thriller, family drama and subtle horror. Here you won’t
find any of the overdone horror tropes that usually are a big turnoff for me. That
said, McMahon’s books aren’t any less scary, just more believable. She has
mastered the perfection in hiding her chills in life’s ordinary moments, with
only brief flashes of teeth visible. At times we may even believe that it’s all
in Alison’s head. Is it though? After all, the monsters we should fear most are
the ones that hide in plain sight, that make everyone else think that we are
the problem.
I really
loved Alison as a main protagonist. She is a family person through and through,
a loving wife and mother who will do anything for her family, even pretend that
she loves Christmas just to make them happy. For someone who has had to
overcome some terrible childhood trauma, she has done very well to build a good
life for herself and her family. This is all being threatened by the news that
her mother is dying and wants to reconcile with Alison and spend her final days
at their house. Alison agrees, despite her misgivings and the many memories of
the abuse she was subjected to as a child. Abuse so terrible that her brother
moved to another state and has broken off all contact with his mother. Alison
is ready to forgive and forget, for the sake of her two girls, who should get
to know their grandmother. This may prove to be a huge mistake …
MY DARLING
GIRL has definitely made it onto my favourites list for this year. McMahon
writes in a way that enabled me to picture the scene and the characters very
vividly in my mind, which made the story an immersive – and very chilling –
read. Despite the goosebumps I am sad that it is over, so engrossed was I in
the tale. The contrast between Christmas cheer and horror was brilliantly done,
and I highly recommend this book to anyone who isn’t a fan of ordinary horror
tropes but is looking for a scary read with supernatural overtones. I
constantly asked myself what I would do in Alison’s place, and my imagined
helplessness in the face of this situation scared me even more. A brilliantly executed
story, all the stars from me!
THE DROWNING KIND by Jennifer McMahon
It surely
reflects a lack of restraint when it comes to spooky books that I devoured THE
DROWNING KIND as soon as I received it, even though it’s not being released
until April. But I hope that I can redeem myself by singing its praises from
the rooftops, because after keeping me up all night frantically reading and
burrowing deeper into my doona as the story progressed, it was 5 stars all the
way for me! Trigger warning: if you like swimming in dark rivers or lakes,
enter at your own risk, because the thing that you thought was a bit of pond
weed tickling your leg? It may just send you running for the hills, never to go
near the water again!
THE DROWNING
KIND revolves around water – but not any water. The underground springs near
the small town of Brandenburg in Vermont have long been known for their healing
power. All the locals know that this gift does not come without a price, and
they choose to stay well away from them, but that does not stop desperate
people flocking to the water, hoping for a cure or having their wishes granted.
In 1929, Ethel, still childless at 37 and desperate for a baby, whispers her
wish to the dark waters of the Brandenburg spring.
Fast forward
to the present. Sisters Lexie and Jax have grown up swimming in their
grandparents’ natural pool, dug into the mountainside and fed by a natural
spring. They are not afraid of the dark, murky waters, even though one of their
aunts drowned in this very pool as a young child. On some of their secret
midnight trips, the girls even swear that they could see the shape of a little
girl staring at them from the water. Now estranged in their adulthood, Jax has
not seen Lexie for over a year, wary of her manic episodes related to her
bipolar disorder. She is therefore both shocked and heartbroken when she finds
out that Lexie has drowned in the pool during one of her midnight swims. When
she travels to the house to sort out her sister’s affairs, she discovers that
Lexie had recently become increasingly afraid of the pool. But was it really
just a manifestation of her illness, or is there something more sinister afoot?
Squish,
squish, tap tap, wet footsteps on the pavers – was that a glimpse of something alien
in the water? Goodness me, this book was soooo creepy! The constant sense of
foreboding and dread kept me turning the pages until late into the night, and
all my childhood nightmares about the bodies of drowned victims floating up
from the bottom of the lake we used to swim in as kids suddenly seemed all too
real.
I loved
everything about this book. Whilst the timeline in the 1930’s gradually
revealed some of the pool’s dark history, Jax in the present is racing against
time to solve the puzzle for herself. As the reader, I was trapped in the
middle like a deer in the headlights.
In summary,
if you love Gothic, spooky stories with supernatural elements that will make
your hair stand on end, then look no further. Told in two separate timelines
that were equally creepy, the book kept me up all night and then stunned me
with a finale so unexpected and shocking that I am still trying to get my head
around it. With a constant sense of foreboding, the book gave me the chills the
whole time! Very highly recommended.
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