In Review: Into the Darkest Corner
In January, I mentioned Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes in my Favourites Books of 2022 and even compared it to The Book of You by Claire Kendal. Both books have some similarities, although they are still different. In approach and theme. So take this as a quick recommendation to read The Book of You if you’ve read and enjoyed Into the Darkest Corner or vice versa. And now, on with the review.
Title: Into the Darkest Corner Author: Elizabeth Haynes Publication year: 2007 Length: 13 hours 58 minutes Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Crime Pace: Medium Story focus: Character
The main protagonist Cathy lives a life of obsessive-compulsive behaviours. She can’t leave the house without checking every lock multiple times and leaving everything in its precise place. She doesn’t trust anyone. Not since her last relationship, which ended 4 years ago. Until a friendly and handsome new neighbour moves in upstairs. At first, he might be just another problem to keep the building door shut. Although he quickly picks up on her behaviour and kindly helps her instead of judging. For the first time, Cathy is starting to trust again, and their friendship is helping manage her compulsions. Life seems to finally be headed to a happier ending until her past is coming to take her back.
When I picked this book up, I don’t think I knew much about it. And stories like this, the less you know, the better. The mystery doesn’t lead to any shocking revelation, although the past is revealed little by little. In a way, similar to A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. You know there’s a story behind it, one not so good, but it takes some time to see the whole picture and discover what happened.
The story develops slowly while jumping between the past and the present. One focuses on the aftermath and the scars it left, and the other exposes how slowly what was a passionate affair turns into a nightmare. It’s clear from the start her last relationship was extremely bad. And so, any revelations are simply another piece to the puzzle, more context to Cathy’s mental illness. For that reason, there aren’t any plot twists.
In the introduction, I mentioned The Book of You as being similar while not at all. And that’s because they both deal with victims of obsession. Although they happen in a very different contexts. In The Book of You, there isn’t any relationship between the aggressor and the victim, and the main character is being harassed. While Into the Darkest Corner, there is a relationship that turns into domestic violence. So two different types of violence. Both are bad, but both lead to two different stories and perspectives.
And believe me when I say this book can be violent. Into the Darkest Corner is a dark book. The episodes of violence that occur later on are described in some detail and not sugar-coated at all. In a way, it’s almost cruel to the reader to witness such violence. Because of it, the tone of the story keeps itself serious throughout. Even with the romance, the tone doesn’t change. Cathy brings big baggage with her, and that doesn’t magically disappear. It ends up influencing her new relationship.
Cathy’s trauma and how she deals with it and eventually overcomes it is the focal point of the story. The scars left behind by the relationship run deep to the point of her developing compulsive behaviours to feel somewhat safe. The emotional impact is heavily explored. The way she now thinks and why she does it are all tied to her past.
This book obviously has its trigger warnings but I enjoyed the raw emotional roller coaster. Understanding the psychological impact of something so violent, it’s a theme I always enjoy reading about. But it’s not for everyone. So while I recommend Into the Darkest Corner, first be sure it won’t cause you any distress.
No Comments