My Darling Daughter by J.P. Delaney
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic noir, Suspense
Read: 3rd October 2022
Published: 15th September 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
The child you never knew
knows all your secrets . . .
Out of the blue, Susie Jukes is contacted on social media by Anna, the girl she gave up for adoption fifteen years ago.
But when they meet, Anna's home life sounds distinctly strange to Susie and her husband Gabe. And when Anna's adoptive parents seem to overreact to the fact she contacted them at all, Susie becomes convinced that Anna needs her help.
But is Anna's own behaviour simply what you'd expect from someone recovering from a traumatic childhood? Or are there other secrets at play here - secrets Susie has also been hiding for the last fifteen years?
MY THOUGHTS:
The child you never knew knows all your secrets...
WOW! This is an intense and emotive read about an incredibly complex mother-daughter relationship in the wake of adoption. It's a psychological thriller with a difference in that you are taken on rollercoaster ride of emotions that leave you feeling as if you've endured the experience yourself. It evokes so many emotions from anger to disbelief to frustration to heartbreak over and over again. I'm not sure what I expected when I picked up this book...but it certainly wasn't this! Delaney has portrayed the circumstances and described the challenges faced with such expert precision and sensitivity because, let's face it, some of those challenges went way beyond the scope of normality.
Susie Jukes was twenty years old when she gave her baby daughter Sky up for adoption, a decision that has haunted her for fifteen years. Now thirty five, Susie is happily married to Gabe living in a beautiful farmhouse with converted outbuildings and a rescue dog. To complete this picture would be the longed-for addition of a child of their own. But sadly, Susie has been unable to successfully carry a pregnancy to term - the only blight on their otherwise perfect life.
So one day when Susie receives a private message on social media from someone called Anna Mulcahy claiming to be the daughter she had given up for adoption fifteen years ago, she is ecstatic. At last, she can get the chance to right the wrongs of the past and get to know the daughter she lost over a decade ago. Anna's descriptions of her home life are, by all accounts, far from happy and after meeting her, Susie begins to wonder whether Anna would be better off with her and Gabe.
But it's not as simple as that, apparently. Even talking about the circumstances surrounding the adoption now places Susie in contempt of court and not only that - Anna (or Sky) is only fifteen and is not yet the legal age of consent required by law that recognises her to make her own decisions. Therefore, she is still legally and technically in the custody of her adoptive parents...who sound anything but ideal. Things get even worse when Susie and Gabe are then served with a Child Abduction Warning Notice after Anna turned up at their place one day and stayed for two days, without the legal consent of her parents. But should Anna really be staying in a house that doesn't appear to have her best interests at heart, let alone safe?
All Susie wants is what's best for her daughter but she also wants to make up for lost time. But can she really do that after fifteen absent years? Who knows what has happened in that time. To all intents and purposes, Anna is literally a stranger and is no longer the sweet faced baby she once held to her breast. So is she being entirely truthful? Or is she manipulating that truth for her own purposes? She is, of course, just a teenager and therefore a product of an over-stretched and under-staffed system. And we all know what teenagers can be like.
But one thing is made clear the moment Anna steps into Susie and Gabe's life. Nothing will ever be the same again...
MY DARLING DAUGHTER is an intense and disconcerting read at times but with its fast pace and palpable tension this tale of domestic noir is bursting with twists and consequences I'm not sure some of the characters are even aware of. Sure, some of them were a little over the top but that merely added to the tension. It is so emotive you seriously will be tearing your hair out with this one in frustration and not knowing quite where it's going to go next.
The story unfolds through short snappy chapters - some even VERY short and snappy - and the alternating narratives of primarily Susie, Gabe and Anna/Sky. Some of which will have you shaking your head in disbelief - whether that be through suspension of belief or some of the behaviour and actions undertaken - you will be thoroughly entertained, that's for sure. There is a family dog, Sandy, and I’m happy to say he was not harmed during this novel, to spare you worrying.
This is the third psychological thriller by J.P. Delaney I have read and I'm never disappointed by his offerings. While his first "The Girl Before" wasn't my favourite it was unique in concept at the time, and "Playing Nice" was exceptional, this one is just as outstanding as the latter. I was thoroughly entertained throughout, as frustrated as I was, but I loved it.
Overall, the themes therein are tough and sensitive ones to say the least but I think Delaney handles them well. A thoroughly fantastic domestic noir and psychological thriller.
I would like to thank #JPDelaney, #NetGalley and #Quercus for an ARC of #MyDarlingDaughter in exchange for an honest review.
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