Darker Days
As seen:
Reviews
Provided by Penguin Random House and The Reading Agency
Bird Street hides a deeply disturbing secret. Every November, with house shutters drawn and mirrors covered, the Darker Days descend wreaking havoc and despair on the residents until a ritualistic human sacrifice is made in the woods to the rear of the properties. In a quasi-ethical attempt to assuage the annual collective guilt, victims are preyed upon from seemingly willing terminally ill patients and hopeless depressive types, who are first sedated, then killed by lethal injection. Born in highly unusual circumstances, gifted children, bipolar Olympic potential diver, Kaila, and her brother, consummate pianist, Django, become inextricably entangled in the predicament of their parents and community. The novel explores what happens when a pact made with a murky devilish dictator figure can no longer be fulfilled. Desperation ensues, suitable victims’ manifest reluctance to end their lives, accidents occur and instability prevails throughout.
Thomas Olde Heuvelt’s book is a page turner, but definitely not for the faint hearted as its subject matter is grotesque. It is a modern horror story with vivid description and well developed, unforgettable characters. Surprisingly, it is very hard for the reader to dislike the protagonists and their neighbours and not to long for an escape route to emerge from their culpability.
If you enjoyed Catriona Ward’s novel ‘The Last House on Needless Street’, Darker Days is tailor made for you. A total success and wonderful read.
