Darling JimChristian Moerk
This reading resolution is like a noose around my mother[EXPLETIVE] neck. I feel suffocated, cramped, unable to continue.
Thankfully, the cure to my suffering arrived in the mail last week, in the form of an ARC from LibraryThing. This novel, Darling Jim, is due to be published in April.
The story begins in the small Irish town of Malahide. When a simple-minded postman uncovers the dead-for-days body of Moira Hegarty, a larger mystery is unearthed, and Moira's violent murder soon takes a backseat to the other victims found upstairs: two emaciated young women whose wounds and shackles indicate that Moira had held them captive for quite some time.
Malahide, a town small enough to make keeping secrets nearly impossible, is shocked that they were unaware of Moira's "guests." Even more shocking: the victims were Moira's nieces. Police conclude that the two young women died during a futile escape attempt. While such a conclusion answers the how, it does little to address the why. Most townsfolk cannot believe it possible to commit such an atrocity, but they chalk it up to Moira's increasing religious fanaticism and general oddball behavior.
The horrific event is well on its way to becoming a bad memory when Niall, a lowly postal clerk who dreams of becoming a cartoonist graphic artist, finds an undelivered package from Fiona Walsh, one of the murdered girls. Torn between his duty to turn such a package over to the police and his curiosity to open it for himself, Niall does what any good Irish lad would do -- he opens it. Inside, he finds Fiona's diary, an account of the damned.
Beginning to read, Niall is soon drawn into a greater mystery still, involving Jim, a charismatic storyteller who charms and invades the lives of Fiona and her entire family. As Niall reads on, we too are drawn into the mystery, and the result is a captivating, thrilling read that warns audiences against falling for the glitz of fantasy.
Darling Jim's ending was satisfactory, if a bit too clean, but I enjoyed it. I just have one question: How in the hell does one pronounce Aoife?
In a nutshell: Fast-paced and captivating, Darling Jim weaves a seductive tale that keeps readers enthralled until the very last page.
Bibliolatry Scale: 4.5 out of 6 stars
Thankfully, the cure to my suffering arrived in the mail last week, in the form of an ARC from LibraryThing. This novel, Darling Jim, is due to be published in April.
The story begins in the small Irish town of Malahide. When a simple-minded postman uncovers the dead-for-days body of Moira Hegarty, a larger mystery is unearthed, and Moira's violent murder soon takes a backseat to the other victims found upstairs: two emaciated young women whose wounds and shackles indicate that Moira had held them captive for quite some time.
Malahide, a town small enough to make keeping secrets nearly impossible, is shocked that they were unaware of Moira's "guests." Even more shocking: the victims were Moira's nieces. Police conclude that the two young women died during a futile escape attempt. While such a conclusion answers the how, it does little to address the why. Most townsfolk cannot believe it possible to commit such an atrocity, but they chalk it up to Moira's increasing religious fanaticism and general oddball behavior.
The horrific event is well on its way to becoming a bad memory when Niall, a lowly postal clerk who dreams of becoming a Beginning to read, Niall is soon drawn into a greater mystery still, involving Jim, a charismatic storyteller who charms and invades the lives of Fiona and her entire family. As Niall reads on, we too are drawn into the mystery, and the result is a captivating, thrilling read that warns audiences against falling for the glitz of fantasy.
Darling Jim's ending was satisfactory, if a bit too clean, but I enjoyed it. I just have one question: How in the hell does one pronounce Aoife?
In a nutshell: Fast-paced and captivating, Darling Jim weaves a seductive tale that keeps readers enthralled until the very last page.
Bibliolatry Scale: 4.5 out of 6 stars
2 comments:
Thanks for that review - makes it sound well worth reading.
This looks promising. I may have to add it to my list.
Also, this is what I came up with for Aoife: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aoife
Post a Comment