The Marsh King's Daughter Review

Melissa Souza
Jun 27, 2017
2 min read

**Thank you to Hachette Australia and Netgalley for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review. 4 stars!!! A deeply atmospheric novel, the story delves into the dark and twisted relationship between a daughter and father. Karen Dionne has a beautiful way of weaving a story. The book is very immersive with detailed descriptions of feelings, situations and the dynamics of captive and captor. The dysfunctional and perverse idea of a family in the mind of a psychopathic narcissist has been portrayed really well. Told from the perspective of Helena, the captor's daughter, the reader is taken through the journey of the captivity of her mother through her eyes. We catch a glimpse of how she struggles with loving her father and seeing him for who he really is. The story alternates between the present and the past, in the here and now, Helena learns about her father's escape from prison. Fearing he might come after her family, she sets out to find him first. The story draws on a lot of hunting comparisons and is filled with vivid details of how life was lived in the marsh. Although many people might find the hunting sequences rather disturbing, I feel they play a vital role in portraying the backstory of the characters. I also liked the setting for the book. It really helped to build a richer storyline and gave the story body as well as depth. The author has meshed the Native American ideals and culture into the storyline as well. As a result, the reader gets a clear image of who the captor as well as Helena is. The heart of the story lies in how Helena tries to throw off her old life and tries to pursue a new identity. One that she created herself. It's about how she comes out of the shadow of her father's crime and years of manipulation to become the woman she is. Would I recommend this story? Yes, I would. Although there aren't many thrills, I don't think this book needed it. It's more of a coming-of-age story with a darker element. My only negative would have to be the pacing of the book, there were times where I wanted the author to focus more on the present, but she did tend to meander into mundane details of Helena's upbringing. However, if you are looking for a mystery novel with a twist, then this one would be a definite treat for you.