Reviewed by Ian Hamilton
This novel has the feel of a current day tale, the style and vocabulary are twenty-first century in tone, as is the role of a psychiatric therapist (which proves to be crucial to the plot). It is only revealed at the end of the novel that the second narrative sections are, in fact, set some twenty years earlier than Cailtin Arden’s chapters. More of that presently. The action of the story occurs in Somerset, often in Bath or a village called Frome, but also in rural settings. Woods and memories of woods are important to the revelation of both plot and theme.
It is also worth noting that Dandy Smith’s writing has several characteristics of gothic genre and, presumably, this was intentional. Consider the isolated grand manor house; deliberate mis-directions about identity; explorations of “gaslighting”; mental health and therapeutic deceits; the macabre behaviour of several characters; imprisonment of characters against their will and the alarmingly intimate relationship between brother and sister. Whether or not this broadens or narrows the appeal of the novel is not immediately clear. Readers who like intrigue, deception and rather melodramatic revelations will happily turn the page.
As noted above, the novel has two narrative sections. The first-person narrative is named after its narrator (Caitlin Arden). The third-person sections are named after Elinor Ledbury. Caitlin works as a Primary School teacher under the surname of her fiancé Oscar Fairview because many people in her community (and far beyond) remember the case of Olivia Arden, Caitlin’s older sister, who was abducted from the family home by a person in a Comedia d’art mask. These chapters (first-person narration) move quickly to the revelation that Olivia has turned up; reunited with her family. Caitlin has an intense bond with her sister (and somehow blames herself for her disappearance), so Olivia’s return is a huge source of joy. The reader may wonder how the rest of the story will evolve: case solved? Enough to know that Caitlin begins to think that Olivia is, in fact, an imposter. Various other characters are involved in what we eventually realise is a matrix of deceit. It is reasonable to say that the reader is being deliberately disoriented.
That feeling of disorientation – perhaps more positively expressed as thriller genre intrigue – is exacerbated by the third-person narration. In it the authorial voice explores the relationship of a young man (Heath) and his sister (Elinor) to their uncle (Robert). The triangle of relationships can be safely described as dysfunctional! The siblings’ parents are dead and they await their considerable inheritance. The large Georgian Manor house which is part of that inheritance is a key setting within the plot. The reader is not at all sure that there is a connection between the two narrative voices until the resolution phase of the plot. Then, indeed, there is a strong nexus.
While some readers may not be entirely enamoured of the dramatic plot revelations and sinister themes, most will find the writing at least competent. Many will find it a gripping and satisfying, if somewhat macabre, read. Dandy Smith’s skill has ensured that the novel is certainly true to its genre: thriller with gothic embellishments and suspenseful twists and turns. Within its niche genre it is a fine piece of work.
The Wrong Daughter
[2025]
by Dandy Smith
Echo Publishing
ISBN: 978 17865 8571 4
$22.99; 353pp