Kept in the Dark by Penny Hancock
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Sonia has lived on the Thames all her life. Her husband tries to convince her to sell and her grown-up daughter and mother agree. But Sonia has memories from living here that continue to haunt her. Memories of a young boy she loved, even though he sometimes treated her cruelly, and lost. She sees that boy in Jez, her friend’s nephew, who has been in town for a few days. When Jez stops by to borrow an album from Sonia, she decides to keep him in the house. Just for a little while. Maybe a few days. Alternating between the present and Sonia’s memories of the past, Penny Hancock builds an increasingly sick and twisted tale of obsession and psychological suspense. The setting is described accurately in both glory and decay. Atmospheric and creepy.
