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A review by robbiclaire
Darling Girl by Liz Michalski
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A retelling of a classic fairytale that seemed to be a stark reminder that fairytales don’t exist - until suddenly it seemed to say, maybe they do.
The Darling girl here is a descendant of the infamous family, the granddaughter of Wendy. Just like many families, there is myth and there is truth in the family history. For Holly Darling, a past full of loss and tragedy has been tucked away so that she can stay in control of her life today - a teenage son, a thriving business, a very sick daughter hidden away in a faraway countryside house as a secret. As the book unfolds, the reader watches as her tightly held grasp on her life becomes threatened and she must face all of those whispers from her past.
There is magic here - it’s a book with the sound of bells, glittering pixie dust, and the alluring idea that childhood can last forever. But there is also violence, and I found myself wondering how much of the violence was necessary for the plot and character development. Turning a fairytale upside down is clever but we don’t always have to shake it this hard. The hints at the opioid crisis were timely and interesting. The objectification of women’s bodies felt like a plot point, not necessarily sincere. (Full disclosure: this is a fairytale I’m very fond of and it wasn’t very fun to see parts of it dismantled this way.)
4 stars for its creativity, for the way the story and characters evoked nostalgia. I’d knock a star off for some of my concerns noted above so let’s settle on 3.
CW: sexual assault, substance use, child death, mention of child sexual abuse, blood, hospitalization/medical trauma
The Darling girl here is a descendant of the infamous family, the granddaughter of Wendy. Just like many families, there is myth and there is truth in the family history. For Holly Darling, a past full of loss and tragedy has been tucked away so that she can stay in control of her life today - a teenage son, a thriving business, a very sick daughter hidden away in a faraway countryside house as a secret. As the book unfolds, the reader watches as her tightly held grasp on her life becomes threatened and she must face all of those whispers from her past.
There is magic here - it’s a book with the sound of bells, glittering pixie dust, and the alluring idea that childhood can last forever. But there is also violence, and I found myself wondering how much of the violence was necessary for the plot and character development. Turning a fairytale upside down is clever but we don’t always have to shake it this hard. The hints at the opioid crisis were timely and interesting. The objectification of women’s bodies felt like a plot point, not necessarily sincere. (Full disclosure: this is a fairytale I’m very fond of and it wasn’t very fun to see parts of it dismantled this way.)
4 stars for its creativity, for the way the story and characters evoked nostalgia. I’d knock a star off for some of my concerns noted above so let’s settle on 3.
CW: sexual assault, substance use, child death, mention of child sexual abuse, blood, hospitalization/medical trauma
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child death
Minor: Child abuse