Darcy Lane | James T. Graham
Published: 30th October 2020 by Austin Macauley Publishers
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
James T. Graham's Darcy Lane is a fast-paced novella which follows Elise as she returns to her home town after completing her treatment at a psychiatric hospital.
Having had an extremely traumatic childhood which included seeing her mother killed, it's clear that Elise has a lot of deep rooted emotional issues, so when she returns to the place of trauma, things are brought back up and she has to find a way to cope. One night she finds herself just outside of town at an abandoned home called Darcy Lane; something draws her to it and it becomes a focal point in her journey to remission.
There were aspects of this book which I really enjoyed, such as the fast paced nature and moments of wit, but I also found it lacking in depth, despite actually covering some very important issues. The novella starts out like a spitfire, with so much action (and trauma) kicking off from the very first pages, but as it continues not a huge amount actually happens. It's definitely a character led story rather than a plot based one, which of course is fine, but I did find it somewhat difficult to really connect with the characters given the length of the book. I sometimes felt like too many unimportant details were taking up space which could've been filled with relevant snippets or further character development.
However, aside from this it is a well-written story which has a pretty strong message and really does highlight both how small moments can have huge impacts, and also how easy it is to fall in with the wrong crowd. Elise does just this when she gets involved with a character from her family history. It's interesting to see this relationship develop and to understand how vulnerable people can be taken advantage of.
Another relationship which I enjoyed and would've loved to see more of was that of Elise and her friend Tom. The pair had a lovely chemistry and James T. Graham really showcased how friendships can change and evolve.
Overall I think this is a good book to read if you're in a bit of a slump, it's quick, easy to read and doesn't require too much brain power. There are interesting characters and a plot that has a few twists and turns to keep you engaged. There are moments of emotion and the ending was unexpected and well done.
*This book was sent to me for review purposes. All views and opinions are my own*
