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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bite, Pathos, and a Cast so believable it hurts..., 14 Jul 1999
By A Customer
'Shrouded' is the first novel from Carol Anne Davis at the Do-Not Press, and is as assured a debut as you're likely to read. The plot, a particularly taut beast in this instance, follows the fortunes of Douglas, a smothered, mothered sort of chap, as he takes his first steps to independence, leaving home at 28. The world is suddenly his oyster, with all the myriad possibilities open to a young man moving into a new bedsit. Unfortunately, the steps Douglas takes are all downhill, as he discovers the power of sex for the first time. If only all women would lie as sweetly still as the girls he looks after at the funeral parlour. If only they wouldn't scream, and writhe, and spoil things... What makes the novel so unpleasant is how likeable Douglas actually is. There is enormous sympathy for him as he attempts to set up his life beyond the confines of his mother's grasp, and his initial attempts into fishkeeping as a hobby are really very sweet. As his descent progresses, we're obviously appalled by the murders he commits, are shocked by his self-justifications. Nevertheless, I still found myself hoping that he'd wake up and create the world he really wants for himself. The characters are deftly drawn, with the primary triumvirate a particularly compelling crowd. As well as Douglas we have his ultimate victim, the hapless Marjorie, all neuroses and hope. Her own plight, the social prison she creates for herself, is saddening in it's fundamental truth. Her concerned flatmate, Simon, is also well handled and convincing in his worries and needs. The world Carol Anne Davis creates is particularly disturbing, because it is fundamentally our world, with none of the twisted new rules dark fiction often asks us to accept. In many ways, the novel addresses parenting, and it's ultimate effects, through the cast of socially maladjusted characters, all of whom are remarkable in their psychological realism. You know these people. You probably poke fun at them when they aren't in the room. 'Shrouded' will make you think twice about that, and more.
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