A maternal gothic tale of new motherhood and the torment of a centuries-old haunting.
Before the shadow appeared, Sofia thought mothering would be all sun-drenched light and white linen sheets, as seen advertised by the momfluencers of Instagram. In her gorgeous home anchored in a posh suburb, far removed from her origins, Sofia revels in her success.
Motherhood seems like the natural next step, but when her husband travels for a work trip, leaving Sofia all alone with their unnamed three-week-old baby, she can’t quite square how mothering falls solely in her lap. Nobody seems able or willing to help her: not her husband, not her best friend, and certainly not the zealot mother she cut off long ago.
Her postpartum reality is overtaken by an ominous figure. Sleep-deprivation collides with a darkness that creeps in and begins to spread, threatening to consume her entirely. As her grip on reality slips away, Sofia learns of an insidious haunting that has plagued the eldest daughters in her family for generations. With her baby’s safety on the line, Sofia realizes she must confront her murky history or risk losing more than just the veneer of perfection.
Sofia has just given birth and is struggling with emotions and exhaustion when her husband leaves her on her own for a three week work trip. He is not entirely unsupportive but the important thing is that he is not supportive in the way that she needs.
As the days tick by and the lack of sleep takes its toll, so do the constant calls from her estranged mother. Gradually, Sofia's postpartum depression spirals into something worse.
I think all mothers will be able to relate to Sofia up to a point, even those of us who didn't have cleaners show up to make our homes sparkle every day. Where Sofia and I go our separate ways is her refusal of any help with the baby. I know I would have given anything for a little help in those early weeks, even if it was just someone willing to sit with the baby for 15 minutes so I could take a shower. This is not her first bout with depression, and as we learn what it was like for her to be raised by a religious zealot who often seemed emotionally disturbed, it becomes apparent that this will not likely end well.
I understand the desire to portray Sofia's increasingly fragile state and slow decline in a gradual manner, but certain parts of the book felt repetitive and dragged on for me. I would recommend this more for readers looking for stories that revolve around generational trauma and depression than horror fans.
I read an uncorrected proof through Netgalley, so there might be adjustments to the final finished copy.
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