Book Review: Dearest by Jacquie Walters

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“Maybe that is the burden of motherhood: to give all that you can and know that it will never be enough.”

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New mom Flora needs help. With her husband deployed, she’s run ragged caring for her newborn daughter, Iris, alone in their remote Vermont home. Flora is no stranger to loneliness, but reality begins to blur amid passing days and sleepless nights as she experiences strange and frightening things, making her worry she’s losing her mind.

In her desperation, she reaches out to her estranged mother, Jodi, who surprises her by showing up at her door, ready to assist. Can they overcome their fraught past and mend their strained relationship, or is there something more going on, something Jodi’s hiding? Can Flora keep Iris safe, and is she a capable mother? And what of the unnerving changes Flora sees and senses within herself?

Dearest is a terrifying, bingeable, fast-paced ride that’s as riveting and addictive as it is unique and horrific. The nerve-shredding storyline rockets to unpredictable places, exploring the burdens of motherhood, the weight of family secrets, the challenges of mental illness, and the perils of self-doubt. 

Unfolding via Flora’s point of view, the fever dream-esque narrative is rife with intrusive thoughts, gnarly body horror, repressed memories, and grisly truths that escalate as Flora’s mindset deteriorates. It’s a harrowing situation where freedom and self-control are nonexistent, existence is blurred, and relationships and truth are both complex and cloaked in darkness — a wild, unforgettable, and anxiety-inducing experience from start to finish.

🖤Amanda

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