BOOK REVIEW: THROUGH THE EYES OF DOUGLAS BY DARREN J GUEST

27/7/2018

BY TONY JONES

BOOK REVIEW: THROUGH THE EYES OF DOUGLAS BY DARREN J GUESTPicture

CLICK HERE TO READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH DARREN

“Through the Eyes of Douglas” was a book I began with no particular expectations, and although it took a bit of time setting the scene, I found it exceptionally good company and whizzed through this multifaceted story in a few days. It’s a complicated book, with a lot going on which is as much psychological mystery as horror. Keeping bending and twisting to the end, it really was great dark fun. Also, if you think you’re good at predicting where a book is going to finish up, think again, with this one you’ve got no chance.

The novel opens in 1995 with the main character Douglas Duffy being released from prison after a number of years, his crime is soon revealed. Flicking forward to 2005 where the majority of the novel is set, Douglas works for a specialist travel agent, but is haunted by his past, the finer details of which are revealed very slowly. Before long Douglas gets a surprise visit from his childhood sweetheart who tells him his grandmother Lacey has died, with this shock much baggage from the past resurfaces. Returning for the funeral, with his best friend JJ, the remainder of the novel is set in the small Suffolk town of Little Gannmere. Douglas’s family have lived there for generations, and have serious history, a lot of which is seen with suspicion by the very unfriendly locals. A deathbed letter from Grandmother Jodi to Douglas is the catalyst which brings him back to a town which only holds bad and painful memories, but perhaps also an opportunity to clear his name?

Much of the novel deals with the strange relationship between Douglas and his dead grandmother, which was unconventional and even abusive, with Douglas slowly opening up to his two friends. As a boy she forced her grandson to drink gin three times a day calling it his “medicine”, why does she do this? Why is Douglas’s memory so fractured? Especially around the murderous incident that sent him to prison of which he has no memory? All good questions, with no obvious answers.

A particular strength of the novel revolves around Douglas’s guilt or innocence. For the majority of the novel you really don’t know which it is, but the reveal when the reader finds out the truth is terrific writing with no cop-out from the author.

For significant periods of the novel the author also cleverly treads a 50/50 line on whether the supernatural is involved at all and this ambiguity works exceptionally well. When Douglas and JJ move into the house, and are supported by neighbour Jodi, they immediately have problems with the local yob teenagers and clash over how to deal with them. But the banter between the three friends is convincing and lots of other emotive issues are thrown into the mix including alcoholism and self-harming.

Douglas is a damaged character, with a lot of baggage. His loyal friend JJ is not much better, but they are fiercely protective of each other and easily draw the reader into their world. As the two begin to clean up and strip the house, they find weird drawings under the wallpaper, a door in the cellar which will not open, and Douglas has strange visions of a character he calls “Big H” an entity which may have been a figment of his childhood imagination. Or perhaps he was real? When they discover old video films of characters who must have been dead over a hundred years it gets even more perplexing. Then there is another death….

I really enjoyed this book which was incredibly imaginative, quirky, fresh and well plotted piece of fiction. It even had me heading to Google to see if the town of Little Gannmere really existed! If you do give it a whirl make sure you give it a decent chance, as the plot takes several turns before genuinely settling on its main direction. The characters are engaging, they may be damaged and/or murderers, but you’ll feel their pain. If you enjoy horror novels which lead you up the garden path, which rely heavily upon twists, atmosphere and characters which are psychological damaged goods then give “Through the Eyes of Douglas” a spin.

Also available on Amazon Kindle Unlimited.

Tony Jones