Rachel Reviews: Nearness of the Wild by Hilary Scharper

There was much to recommend this book to me before I even started it as, if there is one thing I love, it's a lighthouse so "The Lighthouse Chronicles" was bound to tempt. However, the book is actually mainly set in a nursing home rather than a lighthouse, but we are transported to many other places throughout the book through reminiscences and memoirs.

The action begins when a new resident arrives, a lady called Marged who Kay, our narrator, is curious about, of course. Marged initially keeps herself to herself but eventually, Kay is asked to tea. It is, however, the diary that mysteriously appears in Kay's room which propels the story as it belongs to Marged. Kay is compelled to read it and it reveals the story of Marged's time as a nurse in a birthing home, a place where unmarried mothers come to have their babies. This is a place of dark dealings where good people try to do the right thing in the face of external pressure and we are particularly concerned with a young mother called Ruth and the story behind how she came to the home.

This forms a key part of the plot but we are also privy to Marged's love life and in particular her passion for George Stewart, a painter who Marged believes herself to be engaged to, but is he free to marry? In addition, Marged has attracted the attention of Dr. Reid, a steady man of good heart who Marged respects and likes and is, she will admit, attracted to, but does Dr. Reid have the same charisma in order to enchant Marged away from her love for George?

You can see from my short synopsis that there is a lot going on but it's all threaded together brilliantly. We move between present and past easily, chapters clearly marked, and the drawing of characters is distinct, which makes reading this a fully immersive experience. I felt the threat, the trauma, the yearning at various key points in the book and as a result, Scharper is a writer of whose work I would like to read more. In fact, I have Perdita downloaded already, the first "Lighthouse Chronicle".

If you like your fiction strong with a layer of spooky and a thick dollop of uncertain romance mixed with threat and tension, then this is a great book for your TBR list.

Rachel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery where I was privileged to read it as an ARC: