A Very Different Kind of Love Story
Doctor Richard Mason has just been put in charge of his physically and mentally challenged sister, Hannah Rice. A girl he knew from childhood days as nothing more than a summertime friend.
Hannah struggles to communicate with the brother she's known about and longer for these past decades even though he doesn't seem to enjoy having her around. He makes fun of her. He prods her. He makes her do things she doesn't want to do like...talk. No one ever cared about what she may want to say.
Ever the optimist, in her own inimitable way, Hannah stumbles through her new surroundings building a relationship with Mason as she breathes new life into her brother’s dreary world.
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: The beauty of this plot is in the details. Not only does Mason take on the responsibility of caring for Hannah, but it is within the context of both of their lives. The story flows seamlessly between the past and the present, offering a sense of who they were before, and how time has changed them.
Prose: Occasional disruptions to the flow of the prose are small distractions from Darling's otherwise top notch storytelling.
Originality: Full of intricacies both from a character and storytelling standpoint, Genesis offers an original take on the sudden appearance of a long-lost sibling.
Character/Execution: Although Mason is presented as flawed and gruff, the reader can see he truly cares for Hannah. In Hannah, Darling presents a character who is, for the most part, non-verbal. Yet, Darling shares the inner workings of her mind with such ease that the reader appreciates Hannah’s frustration with the disconnect between her thoughts and her speech.
Date Submitted: April 28, 2023
