Cuckoo by Sophie Draper (ARC)
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Gothic
Read: 26th November 2018
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 29th November 2018)
★★★★ 4 stars
Have you been bad enough?
An intense and haunting tale of family secrets and deception, CUCKOO is a creepy psychological thriller debut by Sophie Draper. It's very different in the sense that it is part psychological and part fairy tale, with a touch of ghost story. There are times the reader doesn't know what is happening or where it is going.
The story centres predominantly around Caroline "Caro" Crowther, an illustrator of children's books, who returns to her childhood home after the death of her stepmother Elizabeth. Her estranged sister Steph, whom she has not seen for 20 years, wants nothing to do with the estate and leaves it all in Caro's capable hands. So Caro, seeing this as a fresh start, leaves London and a past abusive relationship behind to move into Larkstone Farm in remote Derbyshire to get the house in order while the estate is undergoing probate.
Upon returning to her childhood home, memories begin to surface about her life there - and most are not happy memories - and the cruelty of her stepmother Elizabeth. Why did Elizabeth hate her so much? Why did she punish her and not Steph? And why did everyone in the village give her looks of contempt, with one store stating that her custom was not welcome? Is she really as bad as Elizabeth always said she was?
"Have you been bad enough, Caroline?"
Isolated on the farm, whilst sorting the house and working on her latest commission, Caro starts to hear noises that don't belong. Sees things that shouldn't be there. Feels things that begin to terrify her. A tapping in the attic. A little boy with a pear drum. A dead rat in her bed. Are these memories or is Larkstone Farm haunted? As Caro delves into the past, memories begin to surface and secrets are slowly revealed. Secrets that could potentially destroy but could also reveal just why her stepmother hated her so much. But is Caro strong enough to come to terms with those painful secrets of her past, or will they destroy her once and for all?
The scene of Larkstone Farm is set brilliantly on the outskirts of a village far enough to be cut off from everyone when the snow sets in. With only herself and, on occasion, a resident cat for company, it's easy to see how such isolation could start to play tricks on an already vulnerable mind. Though Lavendar Cottage - part of the estate as Caro was to learn - is nearby and it's sole occupant Craig calls in from time to time, the sense of isolation there alone in a house with so many secrets to give up can feel claustrophobic. Days could go by and Caro not see anyone, esepcially being snowed in and with no power.
Before leaving London Caro was given a special commission of dark fairytales to illustrate, and the title of the main story she found disconcerting as it was "The Pear Drum" - the same story her stepmother would tell her throughout her childhood, leaving her terrified. These tales, though not much to do with the story as a whole, did create a sense of disquiet and terror within Caro as she struggled with the illustrations. They also gave a fairytale aspect to the story which made her question her own role in the bigger picture that was her family. The images also haunted her dreams and gave her night terrors, something which she hadn't suffered since she was a child - since she had lived at the farm. And then she found her stepmother's pear drum in the attic. Memories, images, hallucinations began to swirl in her mind - surrounding this wretched pear drum. The thing terrified her! It was a tool Elizabeth had used to frighten her. But why?
"Have you been bad enough, Caroline?"
Those words alone are enough to give one the chills, particularly once you know the story of the pear drum, and it really sets that creepy tone. The pear drum in this story is a musical instrument that has a significant impact on Caro and as the story evolves the significance and meaning behind the pear drum unfolds, becoming rather frightening. The story is based on an old folktale about two little girls who are promised a reward if they behave badly, but with any story like this there are consequences. Caro's story and that of the two little girls combine to create an interesting and incredibly eerie feel to the story.
And then there is the title itself - CUCKOO. If you are familiar with the traits of the cuckoo then the brilliance of the story will begin to make sense.
I won't say that some of the twists were predictable but I have to say that I did begin to wonder about certain people and certain aspects and, not so much HOW DID THEY fit in but rather HOW THEY DID and WHERE THEY fit into the story. To me, those questions I asked myself seemed to make a lot of sense to the outcome. So I wasn't surprised by some of the twists but they still weren't predictable. I just read enough psychological thrillers to question everyone and everything! But the very end does leave you almost breathless. And, I don't know about others, with one last remaining question. Who can you really trust?
CUCKOO is an incredibly creepy and eerie read. It is intense and at times chilling, full of secrets, lies, deceptions and twists that collide and leave you wondering what is real and what isn't as Caro's past slowly unravels. It is addictive and a compelling read.
Thank you to #SophieDraper, #NetGalley and #AvonUK for an ARC of #CUCKOO in return for an honest review.
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