 Mercedes skilfully fleshes out all her characters and the backstories that have shaped their lives, slowly filling in the gaps and presenting each as distinct and unique. Darling by Mercedes M Yardley Publisher : Black Spot Books (23 Aug. 2022) Language : English Paperback : 270 pages ISBN-10 : 1645481190 ISBN-13 : 978-1645481195 A Book Review by: Mark Walker Darling has its demons. Cherry LaRouche escaped the claws of Darling, Louisiana at sixteen. When she is forced to return after her mother's death, Cherry and her children move back into her childhood home where the walls whisper and something sinister skitters across the roof at night. While Cherry tries to settle back into a town where evil spreads like infection, the bodies of several murdered children turn up. When Cherry's own daughter goes missing, she is forced to confront the true monsters of Darling. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Only for Cherry, inheriting her childhood home when she is at the point of eviction from her current dive is an offer she cannot refuse. However, her memories of childhood with a strict, over-bearing mother and a house full of ghosts and things that go bump in the night, make her wish she had any other choice than to return to Darling, the town she grew up in. The place is also full of reminders of E, the man she ran away with, but who ditched her and his disabled son as soon as things got tough. Coming back to Darling is a last resort and one fraught with trouble as Cherry must face the demons of her past; E’s brother, Mordachi, always held a candle for her, as did Runner another local boy. The local bitch wastes no time falling back into past habits and an old friend throws guilt into the mix as she laments Cherry abandoning her all those years ago. Throw in her childhood home, which may or may not be haunted, and you really do not have a recipe for happiness. Despite the underlying darkness that hangs over Darling, when her daughter Daisy goes missing, the town comes together to help Cherry search for her. But, as the days pass by, her hope fades. Darling’s rotten heart has infected Cherry’s life, like it has the lives of so many who never had the chance to try and escape like she did. Although, on the surface, the town rallies behind Cherry, once that surface veneer is scratched, old wounds open, old tensions bubble up and the town explodes in a finale of madness and terror that will leave it, and everyone, changed forever. In Darling, Mercedes M. Yardley explores the relationships and tensions of a small town, highlighting both the good and the bad. While Cherry is initially welcomed, her presence also causes friction amongst old friends and rekindles old jealousies. Cherry was sure that there was something rotten in Darling as a child, which is why she could not wait to leave, but returning has convinced her. Her childhood home is a living, breathing entity, closing in on Cherry and tainting everything it touches. It tormented her mother, and it torments Cherry, a character in its own right. Many of the people in Darling sense something is wrong, that the town and Cherry’s house are not “right” but Cherry was the only one who had the chance to leave, but even she has been unable to escape completely. Darling is paced well and does not waste any time getting into the plot proper after Cherry returns and her daughter goes missing. Mercedes skilfully fleshes out all her characters and the backstories that have shaped their lives, slowly filling in the gaps and presenting each as distinct and unique. Cherry’s children are more than simple identikit kids, shoe-horned in to simply serve as plot devices, their characteristics nicely informing Cherry’s and fleshing her out even more. She is a single mother fighting for her children, and the reader is made to care for her and pray that she gets the ending she deserves. You will have to read for yourself to find out whether she does or not but, whatever happens, you can be sure you are in for a good time. I did have a fairly good idea about who had taken Daisy, but there are still plenty of surprises along the way and a couple of things I didn’t expect – enough to make me question my predictions on more than one occasion. Although small towns have been comprehensively explored in many films and books over the years, Darling is a great addition to the collection and, while it uses some of the usual tropes, it is different and compelling enough to make it a complimentary addition to the annals, rather than a lazy copy. Darling is another book I may not have heard about or read if not for working with Ginger Nuts, and I am glad I came across it. It is not overtly scary or spooky, but it explores the relationships and dynamics of small towns which, ultimately, can be scarier than any ghosts or demons. A definite recommendation and temptation into Mercedes’ world. Darling |
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