The Dark Side by Danielle Steel – a Review

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Description:
Zoe Morgan’s childhood was marked by her younger sister’s tragic illness, watching as her parents dedicated themselves completely to her final days and then divorced. As a young woman driven by these painful memories, Zoe sets the bar high for herself, studying hard and pursuing a career in the nonprofit world, where her deep compassion for disadvantaged children finds a focus.

When Zoe falls in love and has her own child, she is determined to be a perfect mother as well. But before long, old scars long dormant begin to pull Zoe to the edge of an abyss too terrifying to contemplate.

As Zoe is haunted by the ghosts of the past, her story will become a race against time and a tale of psychological suspense that no reader will soon forget.

Review:

The Dark Side by Danielle Steel is a different type of story that I have become used to by this author.   The Dark Side is exactly what the book is, a dark and somewhat depressing tale of an illness that threatens the life of a child.  I will say that The Dark Side was excellently written by Steel, as she starts off with a heroine we sympathized with and was likable, and totally turns it around in the last third of the book, taking us by surprise.  This was a suspense thriller all the way, but it was also a hard book to read.

Zoe Morgan is our heroine, and we meet her as a child, when she grieves over the loss of her younger sister to leukemia and watches her family fall apart after her death.  Years later, Zoe becomes successful in her career of taking care of abused children.  She meets and falls in love with Austin, our hero, and they get married.  A short time later, Zoe gives birth to Jaime and is determined to be a great mom.  Over time, Jaime is a very rambunctious child, and Zoe and Austin are happy.  The only problem, is poor Jaime tends to have accidents, or sickness, making many visits to the hospital.  It is Austin’s mom, who shows her concern that Jaimie’s constant ailments might be something different; she feels that perhaps Zoe is suffering from Munchausen.  Austin will begin to research this, even if he does not want to face this possibility.  He will confide in Jaime’s doctor, who happens to be a good friend to Zoe.

Just for those who may not know what Munchausen is: Munchausen relatively rare behavioral disorder that is a psychological, marked by attention-seeking behavior by a caregiver through those who are in their care. The deliberate actions of the mother or caretaker can often make the symptoms worse putting the child’s life in danger.

What follows is an intense, dark and tragic adventure to save Jaime, and prove that Zoe does indeed have this horrific illness.  At this point, when investigators, Austin and the doctor delve deeper the suspicion is confirmed and the story becomes more twisted and chilling. To tell too much more would be spoilers, as this is a book that needs to be read in the fullest. The Dark Side was a shocking and different read for me, but also though depressing, it was very well written and informative.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher