From the New York Times bestselling author of The Children on the Hill, a psychological thriller “that delivers both chilling scares and genuine emotion” (Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author) about a woman who, after taking in her dying, alcoholic mother, begins to suspect demonic possession is haunting her family.
Alison has never been a fan of Christmas. But with it right around the corner and her husband busily decorating their cozy Vermont home, she has no choice but to face it. Then she gets the call.
Mavis, Alison’s estranged mother, has been diagnosed with cancer and has only weeks to live. She wants to spend her remaining days with her daughter’s family.
But Alison grew up with her mother’s alcoholism and violent abuse and is reluctant to unearth these traumatic memories.
Still, she eventually agrees to take in Mavis, hoping that she and her mother could finally heal and have the relationship she’s always dreamed of.
But when mysterious and otherworldly things start happening upon Mavis’s arrival, Alison begins to suspect her mother is not quite who she seems.
And as the holiday festivities turn into a nightmare, she must confront just how far she is willing to go to protect her family in this “twisty, propulsive, character-drive, and hair-raisingly scary” (Nick Cutter, author of The Troop) novel.
Book info: 336 pages. Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press. Publication Date: 17 Sept 2024
My Review:
Are you looking for something creepy and dark? Do you enjoy family drama with a twist of supernatural horror? Well look no further than My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon.
My Darling Girl is a chilling blend of family drama, psychological horror, and dark fairy tale, perfect for those dark winter nights and spooky evenings.
The story centres around Alison. A wife and mother who lives happily with her husband and 2 daughters and has been estranged from her controlling, abusive and manipulative mother for most of her adult life.
However when her mother, Mavis, is diagnosed with a terminal illness and hasn’t got long to live, she reluctantly agrees to Mavis spending her remaining days at their home. Hoping she can rebuild those burnt bridges or perhaps create more positive memories, Mavis moves in and almost immediately strange and disturbing events start to unfold.
Memories that have been supressed, feelings that have been hidden and the fear that haunted Alison all her life return and start to put her family’s lives at risk. Determined to protect her own daughter’s, Alison is forced to question everything she knows about her mother.
The book delves into a very complex and complicated mother-daughter relationship which the reader will feel conflicted about throughout. Is Alison doing the right thing by letting her evil mother back into her family? You will have to read to find out!
Overall My Darling Girl is more than just a horror story. With themes of forgiveness and trauma running through I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more from this author.
