The Darkness of Water

Darkness and mystery abound along a beautiful and isolated stretch of Alaskan coastline when Elena abruptly enters James’s life. The allure of the picturesque bay and mountains can be deceiving though, as James and Elena try to find some beauty within the sad and dark reality that they find themselves in.

While secrets are kept from one another, they soon find that the house they are in holds many secrets of its own, as they seek to unravel the mystery of what happened to the previous occupants. But can they come to terms with their own personal demons before the full truth of their situation comes to light and be able to face the darkness which bears heavily upon them?

Questions and deep, dark secrets abound in Matthew Neighbours' The Darkness of Water. This story encompasses the darkerside of life for four individuals. James and Elena meet after she falls or jumps into the cold dark waters off a cliff in Alaska. George and Anna gothrough pure hell only to escape to Alaska believing, foolishly, their hellish life will become a peaceful one. Darkness and evil sets at the feet of all four of the unsuspecting characters.

Matthew Neighbours created a chilling and thrilling tale in the pages of The Darkness of Water. There is a good deal of secretiveness early on in the story and though that continues for most of the book, there comes a point where the direction of the story seems to completely shift. It is certainly an unexpected twist. Some may find it intriguing, but italmost seemed so out of context that it didn't fit in smoothly. Perhaps an introduction including a background on Elena, as well as some background on Anna, could really benefit the story. With that kind of background, the The Darkness of Water would feel more cohesive.

A gripping tale from the first page, The Darkness of Water has the potential to create raving fans for Matthew Neighbours' writing. Though there were a few issues with the pacing and plot, The Darkness of Water was written with the skillfulness to keep readers on theedge of their seats and turning pages with anxious curiosity. There's no doubt that Matthew Neighbours has a creative mind and knows how to write an eerie tale that'll not only make readers question their own thoughts and decisions, but they'll be greatly anticipating a potential sequel.

Originally critiqued by a member of the Authors Talk About It team.