Review: The Cautionary Woman: She found a reason to live, only for another woman to want her dead. by Darren Darker
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
When I go in to look for a book, any number of factors could potentially entice me to pick something up. Sometimes, it is how closely I relate to the subject matter being discussed in the material. Other times, it is simply a combination of the genre the story is placed under and how much the book description interests me and makes me want to know more.
With Darren Darker’s The Cautionary Woman, I found myself intrigued by the idea behind the story, to put it simply. I love stories that grab you and refuse to let you go, and it sounded like that was what I was going to get based on what I had read about it.
And there are aspects about this book that deliver an engrossing experience. That said, I did have some problems with the story that lowered how I feel overall about the narrative. I think Darker has great ideas – but I see problems in how they are executed. However, before I go into that, let’s get a summary for the story.
Summary
We open with a woman named Aoife Cassidy in a school restroom. She has been locked up for a crime she did not commit and is trying to get through her sentence and back to her son by going through a program where she speaks to students about her experience. Going back in time, we learn that – not only is Aoife doing time for a crime she is not guilty for – there is a woman who will stop at nothing to kill Aoife for that crime due to perceiving her as guilty.
Will Aoife be able to prove her innocence and save herself from the woman trying to harm her?
Thoughts
Like I said before, there are aspects of the narrative that are quite gripping and make it easy to get wrapped up in the scene being built. However, there is something I noticed as I went along that started to grate on my nerves. It is necessary in any story to introduce conflict and hardship for the main characters to keep the reader invested and the plot moving. That said, I think Darker may have overdone some of those hardships, and it is very easy to feel overwhelmed by all that is happening, especially when it comes to the main protagonist. I will explain more in the character section.
With that said, let’s get into it.
Characters
Aoife Cassidy
Now, I want to start with the positives with Aoife. Like she is told by her counselor throughout the story, I think she is incredibly strong given all that she has been through. And I am not just talking about the past events that we do not see in full. The moves she makes to better herself and help others around her to not end up in her situation show that she is a good person just dealt a rather bad hand. This does not mean she is free from blame in all her actions, of course, but even those who have done wrong in the past can do better in the future and learn from their experiences. And seeing her actively try to move on and become a better person after what she has been through is awesome.
However, there is a drawback to what her character faces all throughout the story. As I hinted earlier, the amount of hardship she goes through is hammered in to such an extent that it runs the risk of going too far and making the mood of the narrative feel oppressive. I am not saying that her plight should be easy, but I admit to feeling overwhelmed by all she goes through when we don’t really see the other prisoners dealing with similar things. The good thing is, there is a simple fix for that by just showing some other prisoners dealing with the struggles of day-to-day life in the prison as background events. Maybe Aoife could help someone struggling since we know she has been there herself. It would allow for some light in an otherwise very difficult situation.
Mary Conroy
Mary Conroy is honestly one of my favorite characters in this. It is really amazing seeing how much she truly wants to help Aoife, to the point where Aoife is not just a number in the prison to her. Seeing how gently Mary goes about her work, and then her thoughts on the situation during off-hours shows how she genuinely cares about the situation.
I think this extends to the school program she recommends Aoife participates in. While it is not a smooth transition for Aoife, Mary never stops trying to support and be there for her as Aoife tries this program. Given all that Aoife goes through, it is refreshing to see someone that actively works to help her succeed. Yes, Aoife gets support from some others in the prison, but there is also a lot stacked against her, making Mary’s role in the story particularly interesting and heartwarming.
Marco Russo
I admit, I am a little annoyed with Marco’s role in the story. It is not even who he is as a character that entirely bothers me, but rather what Darker chooses to do with him in the story. His actions play a significant part in the plot, yet they are just left hanging there with no resolution. This doesn’t mean Aoife wouldn’t necessarily end up in prison, but the situation with Marco goes on unresolved. Leaving open threads like that – with no hints to entice the reader – is not a good thing. Let me explain why this bothers me.
As I went through the story, I kept wondering where on earth Marco ended up. I feel like his character is just dropped, which affects the story significantly. When you start a potential character arc, it cannot just be left hanging because it leaves the reader with questions amid an unresolved angle. Where did he go? What will he do? Will he and Aoife ever see each other again? I have too many questions surrounding him and I really wanted to know more than what we got, at least in terms of what happened to him when Aoife was on trial.
Structure
The way Darker structures this story is interesting. I like that he is not having the reader spend all the time in the prison with Aoife but is instead showing glimpses into the outside world that give context for her situation and the people she runs into and/or affects with her actions. These outside situations are interesting, as they slowly build more to her story and make her plight more interesting. While I wish certain situations had been more fleshed out, the fact that I find them interesting shows that they themselves are not negatives to this story at all.
Other than that, I do need to mention one thing with the structure that cannot be overlooked. In some places, the pacing drags. Certain chapters felt like they were much longer than their actual length, making it more difficult for me to get through them at the pace I would have preferred. I think Aoife’s story calls for an intensity that should have driven up that pace. I am wondering if there may be too many elements in this plotline to keep it flowing at a fast-enough speed. We are dealing with many, many elements here that could potentially be bogging down the speed of the narrative because of all the material being covered.
Writing
Darker’s prose is one of the strongest aspects of this novel. From the opening scene in the story, I was drawn in quickly and the strength from how the scenes were built in terms of word choice and dialogue were great! I particularly enjoy how the prose changes whenever certain characters are given time in the spotlight.
Darker knows and understands the importance of mood and tone, making certain chapters – even if there is not much happening in them – horrifying. For example, when he focuses on the main antagonist, the tone of the narrative quickly shifts to that of anger and a desire for retribution. This makes the antagonist look as threatening as they are supposed to be, and helps the reader understand the danger Aoife is in. It makes these chapters particularly interesting!
Conclusion
I am a little mixed on where I stand with this novel. I want to be clear: I see good aspects in it, from an interesting premise to prose that can grab the reader. That said, I also see some issues that unfortunately did not make it as hard to put down as I would have liked, and I feel like I have too many questions about the story, leaving me feeling disappointed.
While I usually try to end my reviews with a word on whom I would recommend something to, I admit I do not feel right doing that in this particular case given I have such lukewarm feelings about it. In the end, I think Darker does what he can to provide a good narrative, but it is undermined by all the issues I have outlined here. As much as I hate to say that, I need to admit that this one just did not work for me. I am afraid I can only give it two stars in the end.
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