The Dark by Sharon Bolton

 

When a baby is snatched and set adrift on the Thames Lacey Flint is in the right place at the right time to perform a daring rescue. The group behind this are trying to strike fear into women around the country and Lacey has made herself a target. 

I've long been a fan of Sharon Bolton, right back to her first novel Sacrifice (as SJ Bolton), so was really pleased to get hold of a review copy of The Dark. Of her earlier works I think the one that terrified me the most was Awakening (if you've read it you'll know why) but things have changed. With The Dark the author has given me nightmares.

The story begins twelve years previously, an opening filled with despair. The description of the feelings really grabs you and drags you down, however there are touches of black humour in there too. The novel then quickly moves forward to now and the scene on the Thames that initiates the main story, a baby is snatched from it's pram and set adrift on the fast moving river.

The snatching of the baby is the opening ploy by a group of domestic terrorists, Incels. Incels, short for involuntary celibate, are men who feel that they are being overlooked by women who are only interested in good looking men. Feeling marginalised by society a group of Incels use the dark web to encourage others around the country to act, striking fear in women.

The whole premise of the story seems so plausible and close to home which is why it is so terrifying. Descriptions of attacks that are going to happen are clinical and precise, the aftermath is chaotic, distressing and fearful. The demands by the Incel group reflect the regimes that women in some repressive states endure every day.

The Dark by Sharon Bolton will be published on 26th May 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Books for a review copy.