Review of DARKNESS by David Adams Richards

4 Stars

A new novel by David Adams Richards always excites me.  He is an author whose books I insist on buying in hardcover.  Like so many of his previous books, this one enthralled me.

John Delano, at the behest of Cathy MacDurmot, investigates the violent death and accusations of murder made against her brother Orville.  As a child, Orville was bullied and shunned because of a physical deformity and his impoverishment, but he eventually became a renowned archeologist.  The people living along New Brunswick’s Miramichi River, where he grew up and chose to live after extensive travels, took pride in his accomplishments but also envied him.  Some tried to use Orville’s fame to advance causes but he, a man of principles, refused to help those whom he knew were only interested in their own personal gains.   His behaviour made him an easy target for gossip and rumours which destroyed his reputation and led to his being charged with murder. 

Most of the book is Delano’s lengthy recounting of what he has learned about Orville, his death, and the charges of murder.  His telling is convoluted and focuses on various people – Brenda, Orville’s first love; Milt Vale, a literature professor Orville encounters at university; Eunice Wise, Orville’s neighbour; and Gaby May Crump, a poor child whom Orville tries to help – and involves flashbacks to various time periods.  It soon becomes clear that Orville’s fate is connected to a novel written by a young man whose work is deemed by some to be “’clumsy – awkward, inelegant and untrained.'” 

Characters from other novels appear or are mentioned, most notably the protagonist of Mary Cyr, Paul Amos of Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul  and John Delano of Principles to Live By.  There are similarities among the characters of these books.  So often his protagonists are people who are at odds with a society where appearances, status, and political correctness take precedence.  For instance, John Delano is much like Orville; both are intelligent men with uncompromising codes of honour.  John focused his life on rooting out evil whereas Orville was devoted to a search for beauty:  “’goodness, kindness and simplicity – and that’s the beauty he was seeking, it was nothing else than that.’”  Like Mary Cyr, Orville is a deeply wounded person who falls victim to exaggerated rumours and sensationalized gossip. 

Orville believes evil exists, and this novel, like others by David Adams Richards, has its villains.  Eunice Wise is self-righteous and totally lacking in empathy:  “’She relished her right never to really care, but to pretend to care.  The Handmaid’s Tale would titillate and rule her life, but no real handmaid would she help.’”  Eunice reminds me of Melissa Sapp in Principles to Live By who portrays herself as an altruist but is a hypocrite because she only does what will aid her personal ambitions.  Several of the seven deadly sins – pride, greed and envy - make their appearance, and the willingness of some people to use and manipulate others knows no bounds. 

What is always impressive about DAR’s books is the memorable characters.  The author takes great pains to explain the motivations of characters – why they behave as they do and make the choices they do.  Orville, for example, who is dead and appears only in flashbacks, emerges as a complex character with positive qualities and flaws.  Orville is maliciously maligned and scapegoated, but he is at heart a gentle, caring man who possesses the qualities of true beauty he spent his life seeking.  The motivations of other characters are also thoroughly detailed so that their reactions and decisions are predictable and totally realistic. 

There are a couple of elements in the book that troubled me.  One is the inter-connectedness of all the characters - though I grew up in a small town and know first-hand how everyone knows everyone.  It is not unusual for a young man to fall in love with a young woman, but what are the chances that this particular young man born to this father will meet and fall in love with this young woman with her “father” and background?  Another issue is how John Delano uncovers some of the information; for instance, how could he know that a man stopped at a service station and “’was at that moment two feet from’” an item in the luggage compartment of a bus, or that, for one woman, a man’s name “’seemed to hover near her at moments in the day’s sun, or at night as she walked the sidewalk home’”?

As always, DAR strikes out at people for whom he feels contempt.  There are some wonderful one-sentence disparagements:  “’He listened to broadcasts by the vast, sweeping CBC that he found so pleasurable to listen to, where so many of our broad-minded reporters live in like-minded cubby holes for thirty years’” and “Many did not take his doctorate seriously – or as seriously as they would have if they had thought of it themselves.  It’s amazing how certain academics can slough things off.’”  Of course, people who “’”put on” sensitivity, or concern, or equality’” are targets for his scorn, as are those who are part of “the rumour mill of rural Canada, the glut of Tim Hortons gossip.’” 

A novel by DAR is always multi-layered.  There is so much to parse, but this is supposed to be a review, not an academic essay.  I am, once again, impressed by his compassion for the poor.  His books demonstrate a deep understanding of human behaviour and show the consequences of judging others on the basis of appearance, background and gossip.  The book deserves to be read and re-read.

Darkness makes several references to the long-ago relationship between John Delano and Cathy MacDurmot; I understand that one of DAR’s first novels, Blood Ties, introduces the MacDurmot family and describes John and Cathy’s relationship.  I’m off to try and find a copy and read it.

In the meantime, here are links to my reviews of other of David Adams Richards’ novels:

Mary Cyr:  https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2018/05/review-of-mary-cyr-by-david-adams.html

Principles to Live By:  https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2016/06/review-of-principles-to-live-by-by.html

Crimes Against My Brother:  https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2016/12/canadian-book-advent-calendar-day-18-r.html

Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul:  https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2015/07/from-schatjes-reviews-archive-incidents.html

The Lost Highway:  https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2017/09/archival-review-lost-highway-by-david.html