My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I had the pleasure of Buddy Reading My Darling Girl, the latest from Jennifer McMahon, with my fabulous niece, Lyss.
Having both loved earlier McMahon works, we were stoked to get to this one. Happily, it didn’t disappoint. I found this to be wickedly atmospheric. McMahon sure knows how to deliver the creep-factor I desire.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I’m an Atmosphere Girlie first and foremost. That’s what I am looking for when I open the pages of a book. I want to be transported and I want to be unsettled by it.
In this novel, we mainly follow Allison, an artist and children’s author, who lives with her husband, two daughters and family dog in a cozy farmhouse in Vermont.
As Christmas approaches, Allison receives a phone call that’s about to shake things up.
Allison’s estranged mother, Mavis, also an artist, is gravely ill with cancer. Mavis is expected to live for only a few more weeks and she has requested that she spend her last days in hospice care in her daughter’s home.
Allison is surprised her mother would make this request. Their relationship has been troubled for many, many years, to say the least. Perhaps her mother wants to repair their bond prior to her death?
Allison’s husband knows about his wife’s traumatic childhood and he’s a little worried her mom’s presence could trigger her, but he also feels like it could be very important to her healing process.
After a family discussion, Allison agrees. They’re going to do it. They’re going to open up their home to Mavis, providing her a safe and loving space for her last days.
Shortly after Mavis is settled in though, mysterious things start happening. Things Allison can’t explain. Mavis is barely recognizable to Allison, her behavior is so different.
What is going on here? She’s being nice to the girls, particularly the youngest, Olivia? Is Mavis suddenly a nurturing old woman who wants to spend time with her grandchildren and daughter, or is this all a deception?
Allison feels it, she knows something is off, but what?
This story was so enjoyable to watch unfold. It begins with a little section, set 27-years in the past, that sort of provides the building blocks for Allison’s relationship with Mavis. That section took my breath away. It freaked me out.
It was so unsettling. I needed answers. That sense of unease that McMahon captured there, in those first few pages, never left me. I never got that scene out of my head and it truly set the stage for this entire story.
I feel like McMahon has a knack for setting an ominous tone. I’m frequently scared and I don’t even know of what. I absolutely LOVE that feeling!
As mentioned in the synopsis, Allison suspects demonic possession and the way McMahon played with that idea and allowed it to evolve in the story was fantastic. Possession stories are one of my favorite subgenres of Horror, so I was intrigued and elated to read that idea explored here.
There are some sections from Mavis’s perspective, reflecting back on her life and earlier relationships. The back-and-forth was interesting and definitely helped to build out the overall narrative in a pleasing way.
The events in the second-half of the book definitely accelerate in speed. Before you know it, you’re racing towards the conclusion, and what a conclusion it is.
There was a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming and it made me ridiculously giddy. I loved it. McMahon continues to slay. You know I will be picking up all future works.
I definitely recommend this one to anyone who has enjoyed McMahon’s work in the past. Also, to anyone who loves a overriding feeling of dread that lasts throughout the story. Finally, to anyone who enjoys a dark and creepy atmosphere. This one is for you!