The Dark: A MockingOwl Book Review
Book cover image from Bookshop.org
The Dark, by Emma Haughton is a culmination of all my childhood desires, minus the murder. I was always fascinated by Antarctica. I watched specials. Read anything I could find on the various explorations and explorers. I dreamt of being aboard the Calypso, studying life forms on the ice in the Southernmost pole. I loved the romantic idea of this kind of scientific work.
The Dark is far from the idyllic life at the pole, I imagined. It is a story about Kate, a Doctor that was hired to replace a team member who met with an accident at the site.
Kate is also running from a secret. Adventure, and the chance to escape the scrutiny of others lures her to the base camp in Antarctica. Kate arrives in the daylight, but shortly after arriving, day will turn to utter darkness for 6 months.
To complicate things further, once the supply/transport planes have left, it will be next to impossible to fly back without putting lives at risk, due to the utter cold.
Bone chilling cold.
Cold that can kill in minutes.
Have you ever been afraid of the dark? You are not alone. Many people share this fear. Kate shares this fear. What an interesting way to face your Nemesis. To immerse yourself in the midsts of a long winter’s night, and hope you survive to see the sun again.
This novel is brilliantly written in the first person. From page one to the last page, the author keeps you in the dark about everything. The killer is revealed slowly, beautifully and nothing can be taken for granted. I was so pleasantly surprised, that I plan to read more of Emma Haughton’s work.
The funny things about this review is that I thought, when choosing The Dark, that I was reading a murder mystery about a little cottage in the snow. Yes, I went off the cover. I was overjoyed to find out the real meat of the story was much more adventurous.
The Dark is an exciting read that flows from page to page like water from melting ice. Nothing is as it seems in the darkness. Grab a flashlight, and be ready to face your fears.
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Sue Cook lives in Freeport, Illinois with her husband Randy and two dogs. Her passions include assistance dogs, rescue dogs, music, acting, theater, poetry, and Doctor Who. She’s been in both film and theater and is a regular cast member of the podcast Doctor Who’s Line is it….Anyway? Sue is an advocate for the use of Service Dogs to assist their disabled handlers to maintain their independence. Quigley’s Quest, her first children’s book, addresses how a dog becomes a Service Dog.
