Publishers Weekly
07/22/2024
Flora, the 32-year-old protagonist of screenwriter Walters’s eerie if unsubtle debut, is sliding into postpartum psychosis six weeks after her daughter Iris’s birth. Her military husband is deployed overseas and her father and stepmother have come and gone, leaving Flora alone, disgusted by her body, and aghast at her infant’s demands. In despair, she reaches out to the mother she cut off four years earlier. Jodi is a critical, distant Mommie Dearest figure but ultimately responds to her child’s cry for help—or so it seems at first. Walters writes effectively spooky descriptions and executes the plot twists competently. The thrills, however, are more developed than the emotional stakes, which prove difficult to buy into as Walters uncritically reinscribes the misogyny that her mother/night hag tropes rely upon—down to Flora’s declaration, after 200-odd pages of her own dissociative terror and violent rages, that “I would have been happier with a mom who loved me fearlessly.” She may be an unreliable narrator, but she certainly can say the quiet part out loud. Fans of true psychological horror will find this a little too on the nose. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"A fast-paced and frightening debut that explores the nightmares of new motherhood, with plenty of twists and scares."—Rachel Harrison, bestselling author of Black Sheep
"A raw and challenging rumination on motherhood and inherited trauma. Compassionate and compelling, Walters is a talent to watch."—Sarah Langan, author of Good Neighbors and A Better World
“A truly terrifying exploration of maternal instinct, mental health, and the complex bonds between mothers and daughters. Jacquie Walters is a horror writer to watch.” —Robyn Harding, author of The Drowning Woman
“A corrosive cocktail of domestic dread and parental paranoia, Dearest will turn your stomach and scare you senseless."—Daniel Kraus, New York Times bestselling author of Whalefall
"Dearest by Jacquie Walters is one of the most exquisitely terrifying books I've ever read. Exceptionally written, this stunning thriller/horror explores the darkest parts of motherhood—whether we are good enough, capable enough to ensure our children survive and thrive. With mind-blowing twists, supernatural sensations, and a raw, unflinching exploration of postpartum, Dearest altered my psyche and skewered my soul."—Samantha M. Bailey, bestselling author of A Friend in the Dark
"Shockingly original and genuinely disturbing, this brilliant horror novel will hit way too close to home for millions of women."—Kirsten Miller, author of The Change
"An unflinching, cinematic thrill ride that examines the darkest fears inherent to motherhood…then lights them on fire. This perfectly plotted debut delivers again and again with a tense, claustrophobic start and genuinely terrifying final act."—Anne Heltzel, author of Just Like Mother
