I'm a relative newcomer to Erskine's books and my latest read has lived up to all the previous ones in a great way. This is a supernatural tale, mainly about love, obsession and power, where many lives are ruined through the actions of one spiteful, vengeful girl. Brid is a 6th century Druidess, learning the craft as an apprentice to her powerful Uncle, Broichan. Adam is a 14 year old boy from the 1930's, lonely and confused when his mother finally walks out on his puritanical father. At the sacred stone, where the veil between times is thinnest, they manage to crossover into each others time, sharing secrets and becoming lovers. But Adam grows up and the pulls of his real life take him away from Brid - to medical school in Edinburgh and to the arms of another woman, Liza. Brid refuses to let him go, breaking through the mist and travelling after him, murdering the first person to stand in her way. For over half a century, Adam is haunted by her, finding his loved ones attacked, cursed and killed, as she seeks ever more power, until back on the hillside where it all began, he must face her down using her own magic.I loved the plot and the characters were brilliantly portrayed. Brid's descent into madness and blood fuelled vengeance isn't totally explained by the events leading up to it, but it makes for one hello of a creepy protagonist. The almost casual way in which she murders leaves you, as the reader, totally on edge as you're never really sure which character she'll turn her attentions to next. I would have loved the character of Meryn to have had more of a role - he's utterly fascinating and I would like to read more about him. But even with those little niggles, I loved reading this and I can't wait to read more books by this author in the future.
I'm a fan of Barbara Erskine and she's written dozens of books along the same theme. Most people laud Lady of Hay as her best work - which it possibly is and was her first novel, too. For me, however, this has long been my favourite of hers. I think what I like most is that it's not a happy story for anyone. And yes, the notion of a love-crazed woman is one of those cliches I personally work hard to avoid, but here there's a desperation about it that's bound up in this girl's destiny and the society in which she lives. As usual, Erskine's research is second to none. I love the amount of detail she puts into her description so that you gain a real sense of place and, more importantly, time. If I were to even try and describe this novel, I'd probably say it's a Time-travel-romance-historical-fiction-suspense-mystery-novel. Or something.
What do You think about On The Edge Of Darkness (1998)?
A found it to be a bit of a slow start, a lot of attention to very trivial and mundane details that sometimes made it a bit of a boring read. It picked up about halfway through, when we got to see what Brid was truly capable of and how affected Adam was by it. Essentially, when the pair of them have grown up and left childhood. I was left a little disappointed at the ending though, and I don't know why. It left me a little angry. After following Adam along for nearly the entire span of his life (and in the slow parts, trust me, it feels like you've been reading it for years), I expected a bit more from the very end. It was, however, well written and made me interested to read more of Erksine's work.
—Mandi
