Darling Jim | |||||
Christian Moerk | |||||
Narrated by Stephen Hoye and Justine Eyre | |||||
Tantor Audio, 11 hours | |||||
A review by Jennifer McCann
The diary describes the last days of Fiona's life and the twisted tale of how Jim Quick, a traveling seanachai
(storyteller) came to Castletownbere and changed the lives of four women. Riding into town on his Vincent Comet
motorcycle trailing sex, danger and a possible body count, Jim begins his story of twin princes.
As the story goes, when one brother arranges the murder of the other brother to get the kingdom, he then ravages
the countryside and the women thereof, creating havoc along the way. While on a hunt, the prince runs upon a wolf,
a creature much hated and hunted in the mediaeval forest of his kingdom. He is cursed by the wolf for his vile
and evil acts and, after living as a wolf for an unknown time, the prince is trapped by his beautiful cousin. She
has the secret to turning him back into a man, but the question for the prince is, will he "love her or kill her."
Fiona finds herself drawn to this mysterious storyteller but becomes suspicious when other women Jim has been
involved with turn up dead. Tracking back through his past travels, Fiona discovers a series of questionable
deaths of women who have crossed Jim's path.
Unknown to Fiona, her shy, lovelorn aunt Moira has set her sights on Jim as well. Jim takes advantage of the
situation and becomes a tenant in the rooming house of which Moira is the proprietress, quickly sweeping Moira
off her feet. Fiona is hurt at how forcefully Jim drops her, but is very disturbed by his interest in Moira and
in her twin sisters, Roisin and Epha.
This story is a tapestry of many strands. First, there's the story of Jim's insinuation into the lives of Fiona
and her family -- all of which leads up to their brutal deaths and the disappearance of Epha. Interwoven with
that mystery is Jim's tale of the prince and his curse and the choice he has to make. And there's also the
adventure of Niall's quest to discover exactly what happened to the Walsh girls and their aunt.
Moerk has spun a twisted, murky tale that captures the gray, rain-soaked coast of Ireland of the past and
present. He blends the strands together artfully on his loom of storytelling. The whole cast of characters
are real living and breathing people with whom you become deeply involved. The listener is there on the quest
with Niall as he follows the clues in Fiona's diary to one twist after another. Being rather dark and gothic,
this story still retains the humor and "cheekiness" for which the modern inhabitants of Ireland are so
famous. One grows to care about what happened to Fiona and her sisters and wants to discover the madness
that caused their deaths.
Stephen Hoye and Justine Eyre do an incredible job of giving voice to Niall, Fiona and all the rest. Their
lilting Irish accents give full body to the characters and the dialogue that Moerk has written, truly breathing
life into Darling Jim. Hoye and Eyre, both well-deserved winners of the AudioFile Earphones Award, capture
the irony and humor of the inhabitants of Castletownbere. Now the only question is -- will you "love her or kill her?"
A belly dancing, dyslexic wife and mother who in her spare time works as a library clerk. A full and rich life is lead through the books she listens to and/or reads. Dyslexics Untie! |
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