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Darkness
From literary legend David Adams Richards comes the breathtaking final instalment of his epic Miramichi Trilogy.When John Delano is asked by the sister of Orville MacDurmot to investigate his violent death and the accusations of murder that haunted his final days, Delano embarks on a journey that will pull him deep into Miramichi's shadowy history and the pasts of those who conspired against him.Bullied as a child for his meagre upbringing and blindness in one eye, Orville broke from his humble roots to become an internationally renowned archeologist, a position those along the Miramichi treat with both pride and resentment. Not one to suffer fools gladly, Orville finds himself progressively at odds with the region's elite, who wish to use his eminence for their own gains and enlist him for their political causes. As resentments old and new fester, suspicion grows and a book titled Darkness increasingly seems the origin of a crime unlike anything the Miramichi has witnessed before, Orville finds his reputation--and his life--in danger. When the remains of a young woman and man are discovered on a rugged shoreline where Orville has been working on an archeological dig, his enemies finally see their opportunity to destroy him.In a saga crossing decades, continents and generations, yet rooted in the richly conceived world of Richards' Miramichi, Darkness explores the shocking lengths we travel to fulfill personal ambition, and the tragic price we pay to defend our moral principles. From literary legend David Adams Richards comes the breathtaking final instalment of his epic Miramichi Trilogy.When John Delano is asked by the sister of Orville MacDurmot to investigate his violent death and the accusations of murder that haunted his final days, Delano embarks on a journey that will pull him deep into Miramichi's shadowy history and the pasts of those who conspired against him.Bullied as a child for his meagre upbringing and blindness in one eye, Orville broke from his humble roots to become an internationally renowned archeologist, a position those along the Miramichi treat with both pride and resentment. Not one to suffer fools gladly, Orville finds himself progressively at odds with the region's elite, who wish to use his eminence for their own gains and enlist him for their political causes. As resentments old and new fester, suspicion grows and a book titled Darkness increasingly seems the origin of a crime unlike anything the Miramichi has witnessed before, Orville finds his reputation--and his life--in danger. When the remains of a young woman and man are discovered on a rugged shoreline where Orville has been working on an archeological dig, his enemies finally see their opportunity to destroy him.In a saga crossing decades, continents and generations, yet rooted in the richly conceived world of Richards' Miramichi, Darkness explores the shocking lengths we travel to fulfill personal ambition, and the tragic price we pay to defend our moral principles.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published May 25, 2021
1 person is currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
David Adams Richards
46 books204 followersDavid Adams Richards (born 17 October 1950) is a Canadian novelist, essayist, screenwriter and poet.
Born in Newcastle, New Brunswick, Richards left St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, one course shy of completing a B.A. Richards has been a writer-in-residence at various universities and colleges across Canada, including the University of New Brunswick.
Richards has received numerous awards including 2 Gemini Awards for scriptwriting for Small Gifts and "For Those Who Hunt The Wounded Down", the Alden Nowlan Award for Excellence in the Arts, and the Canadian Authors Association Award for his novel Evening Snow Will Bring Such Peace. Richards is one of only three writers to have won in both the fiction and non-fiction categories of the Governor General's Award. He won the 1988 fiction award for Nights Below Station Street and the 1998 non-fiction award for Lines on the Water: A Fisherman's Life on the Miramichi. He was also a co-winner of the 2000 Giller Prize for Mercy Among the Children.
In 1971, he married the former Peggy MacIntyre. They have two sons, John Thomas and Anton Richards, and currently reside in Toronto.
John Thomas was born in 1989 in Saint John, New Brunswick.
The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick administers an annual David Adams Richards Award for Fiction.
Richards' papers are currently housed at the University of New Brunswick.
Born in Newcastle, New Brunswick, Richards left St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, one course shy of completing a B.A. Richards has been a writer-in-residence at various universities and colleges across Canada, including the University of New Brunswick.
Richards has received numerous awards including 2 Gemini Awards for scriptwriting for Small Gifts and "For Those Who Hunt The Wounded Down", the Alden Nowlan Award for Excellence in the Arts, and the Canadian Authors Association Award for his novel Evening Snow Will Bring Such Peace. Richards is one of only three writers to have won in both the fiction and non-fiction categories of the Governor General's Award. He won the 1988 fiction award for Nights Below Station Street and the 1998 non-fiction award for Lines on the Water: A Fisherman's Life on the Miramichi. He was also a co-winner of the 2000 Giller Prize for Mercy Among the Children.
In 1971, he married the former Peggy MacIntyre. They have two sons, John Thomas and Anton Richards, and currently reside in Toronto.
John Thomas was born in 1989 in Saint John, New Brunswick.
The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick administers an annual David Adams Richards Award for Fiction.
Richards' papers are currently housed at the University of New Brunswick.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 15 reviews
June 10, 2021
A new novel by David Adams Richards always excites me. He is an author whose books I insist on buying in hardcover. Like so many of his previous books, this one enthralled me.
John Delano, at the behest of Cathy MacDurmot, investigates the violent death and accusations of murder made against her brother Orville. As a child, Orville was bullied and shunned because of a physical deformity and his impoverishment, but he eventually became a renowned archeologist. The people living along New Brunswick’s Miramichi River, where he grew up and chose to live after extensive travels, took pride in his accomplishments but also envied him. Some tried to use Orville’s fame to advance causes but he, a man of principles, refused to help those whom he knew were only interested in their own personal gains. His behaviour made him an easy target for gossip and rumours which destroyed his reputation and led to his being charged with murder.
Most of the book is Delano’s lengthy recounting of what he has learned about Orville, his death, and the charges of murder. His telling is convoluted and focuses on various people – Brenda, Orville’s first love; Milt Vale, a literature professor Orville encounter at university; Eunice Wise, Orville’s neighbour; and Gaby May Crump, a poor child whom Orville tries to help – and involves flashbacks to various time periods. It soon becomes clear that Orville’s fate is connected to a novel written by a young man whose work is deemed by some to be “’clumsy – awkward, inelegant and untrained.'”
Characters from other novels appear or are mentioned, most notably the protagonist of Mary Cyr, Paul Amos of Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul and John Delano of Principles to Live By. There are similarities among the characters of these books. So often his protagonists are people who are at odds with a society where appearances, status, and political correctness take precedence. For instance, John Delano is much like Orville; both are intelligent men with uncompromising codes of honour. John focused his life on rooting out evil whereas Orville was devoted to a search for beauty: “’goodness, kindness and simplicity – and that’s the beauty he was seeking, it was nothing else than that.’” Like Mary Cyr, Orville is a deeply wounded person who falls victim to exaggerated rumours and sensationalized gossip.
Orville believes evil exists, and this novel, like others by David Adams Richards, has its villains. Eunice Wise is self-righteous and totally lacking in empathy: “’She relished her right never to really care, but to pretend to care. The Handmaid’s Tale would titillate and rule her life, but no real handmaid would she help.’” Eunice reminds me of Melissa Sapp in Principles to Live By who portrays herself as an altruist but is a hypocrite because she only does what will aid her personal ambitions. Several of the seven deadly sins – pride, greed and envy - make their appearance, and the willingness of some people to use and manipulate others knows no bounds.
What is always impressive about DAR’s books is the memorable characters. The author takes great pains to explain the motivations of characters – why they behave as they do and make the choices they do. Orville, for example, who is dead and appears only in flashbacks, emerges as a complex character with positive qualities and flaws. Orville is maliciously maligned and scapegoated, but he is at heart a gentle, caring man who possesses the qualities of true beauty he spent his life seeking. The motivations of other characters are also thoroughly detailed so that their reactions and decisions are predictable and totally realistic.
There are a couple of elements in the book that troubled me. One is the inter-connectedness of all the characters - though I grew up in a small town and know first-hand how everyone knows everyone. It is not unusual for a young man to fall in love with a young woman, but what are the chances that this particular young man born to this father will meet and fall in love with this young woman with her “father” and background? Another issue is how John Delano uncovers some of the information; for instance, how could he know that a man stopped at a service station and “’was at that moment two feet from’” an item in the luggage compartment of a bus, or that, for one woman, a man’s name “’seemed to hover near her at moments in the day’s sun, or at night as she walked the sidewalk home’”?
As always, DAR strikes out at people for whom he feels contempt. There are some wonderful one-sentence disparagements: “’He listened to broadcasts by the vast, sweeping CBC that he found so pleasurable to listen to, where so many of our broad-minded reporters live in like-minded cubby holes for thirty years’” and “Many did not take his doctorate seriously – or as seriously as they would have if they had thought of it themselves. It’s amazing how certain academics can slough things off.’” Of course, people who “’”put on” sensitivity, or concern, or equality’” are targets for his scorn, as are those who are part of “the rumour mill of rural Canada, the glut of Tim Hortons gossip.’”
A novel by DAR is always multi-layered. There is so much to parse, but this is supposed to be a review, not an academic essay. I am, once again, impressed by his compassion for the poor. His books demonstrate a deep understanding of human behaviour and show the consequences of judging others on the basis of appearance, background and gossip. The book deserves to be read and re-read.
Darkness makes several references to the long-ago relationship between John Delano and Cathy MacDurmot; I understand that one of DAR’s first novels, Blood Ties, introduces the MacDurmot family and describes John and Cathy’s relationship. I’m off to try and find a copy and read it.
In the meantime, here are links to my reviews of other of David Adams Richards’ novels:
Mary Cyr: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/...
Principles to Live By: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/...
Crimes Against My Brother: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/...
Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/...
The Lost Highway: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/...
John Delano, at the behest of Cathy MacDurmot, investigates the violent death and accusations of murder made against her brother Orville. As a child, Orville was bullied and shunned because of a physical deformity and his impoverishment, but he eventually became a renowned archeologist. The people living along New Brunswick’s Miramichi River, where he grew up and chose to live after extensive travels, took pride in his accomplishments but also envied him. Some tried to use Orville’s fame to advance causes but he, a man of principles, refused to help those whom he knew were only interested in their own personal gains. His behaviour made him an easy target for gossip and rumours which destroyed his reputation and led to his being charged with murder.
Most of the book is Delano’s lengthy recounting of what he has learned about Orville, his death, and the charges of murder. His telling is convoluted and focuses on various people – Brenda, Orville’s first love; Milt Vale, a literature professor Orville encounter at university; Eunice Wise, Orville’s neighbour; and Gaby May Crump, a poor child whom Orville tries to help – and involves flashbacks to various time periods. It soon becomes clear that Orville’s fate is connected to a novel written by a young man whose work is deemed by some to be “’clumsy – awkward, inelegant and untrained.'”
Characters from other novels appear or are mentioned, most notably the protagonist of Mary Cyr, Paul Amos of Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul and John Delano of Principles to Live By. There are similarities among the characters of these books. So often his protagonists are people who are at odds with a society where appearances, status, and political correctness take precedence. For instance, John Delano is much like Orville; both are intelligent men with uncompromising codes of honour. John focused his life on rooting out evil whereas Orville was devoted to a search for beauty: “’goodness, kindness and simplicity – and that’s the beauty he was seeking, it was nothing else than that.’” Like Mary Cyr, Orville is a deeply wounded person who falls victim to exaggerated rumours and sensationalized gossip.
Orville believes evil exists, and this novel, like others by David Adams Richards, has its villains. Eunice Wise is self-righteous and totally lacking in empathy: “’She relished her right never to really care, but to pretend to care. The Handmaid’s Tale would titillate and rule her life, but no real handmaid would she help.’” Eunice reminds me of Melissa Sapp in Principles to Live By who portrays herself as an altruist but is a hypocrite because she only does what will aid her personal ambitions. Several of the seven deadly sins – pride, greed and envy - make their appearance, and the willingness of some people to use and manipulate others knows no bounds.
What is always impressive about DAR’s books is the memorable characters. The author takes great pains to explain the motivations of characters – why they behave as they do and make the choices they do. Orville, for example, who is dead and appears only in flashbacks, emerges as a complex character with positive qualities and flaws. Orville is maliciously maligned and scapegoated, but he is at heart a gentle, caring man who possesses the qualities of true beauty he spent his life seeking. The motivations of other characters are also thoroughly detailed so that their reactions and decisions are predictable and totally realistic.
There are a couple of elements in the book that troubled me. One is the inter-connectedness of all the characters - though I grew up in a small town and know first-hand how everyone knows everyone. It is not unusual for a young man to fall in love with a young woman, but what are the chances that this particular young man born to this father will meet and fall in love with this young woman with her “father” and background? Another issue is how John Delano uncovers some of the information; for instance, how could he know that a man stopped at a service station and “’was at that moment two feet from’” an item in the luggage compartment of a bus, or that, for one woman, a man’s name “’seemed to hover near her at moments in the day’s sun, or at night as she walked the sidewalk home’”?
As always, DAR strikes out at people for whom he feels contempt. There are some wonderful one-sentence disparagements: “’He listened to broadcasts by the vast, sweeping CBC that he found so pleasurable to listen to, where so many of our broad-minded reporters live in like-minded cubby holes for thirty years’” and “Many did not take his doctorate seriously – or as seriously as they would have if they had thought of it themselves. It’s amazing how certain academics can slough things off.’” Of course, people who “’”put on” sensitivity, or concern, or equality’” are targets for his scorn, as are those who are part of “the rumour mill of rural Canada, the glut of Tim Hortons gossip.’”
A novel by DAR is always multi-layered. There is so much to parse, but this is supposed to be a review, not an academic essay. I am, once again, impressed by his compassion for the poor. His books demonstrate a deep understanding of human behaviour and show the consequences of judging others on the basis of appearance, background and gossip. The book deserves to be read and re-read.
Darkness makes several references to the long-ago relationship between John Delano and Cathy MacDurmot; I understand that one of DAR’s first novels, Blood Ties, introduces the MacDurmot family and describes John and Cathy’s relationship. I’m off to try and find a copy and read it.
In the meantime, here are links to my reviews of other of David Adams Richards’ novels:
Mary Cyr: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/...
Principles to Live By: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/...
Crimes Against My Brother: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/...
Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/...
The Lost Highway: https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/...
August 24, 2022
Most of David Adams Richard’s “Darkness” involves police officer John Delano narrating to Cathy MacDurmot the results of his investigation into the criminal charges against her eccentric brother Orville and his subsequent untimely death. As a reader therefore, you are left to decide if this unusual narrative technique is a masterful literary achievement or runs out of steam along the way. I am inclined to take the latter position.
However, the story being narrated, which becomes the de facto plot, is an interesting one. Orville MacDurmot is an engaging character who rises to prominence as an archeologist despite being bullied and ostracized as a child for his family’s poverty, his blindness in one eye and his facial disfigurement. He ultimately embraces his oddities and charts his own path.
The contrasting characters of weak-willed Professor Milt Vale and self-righteous, self-serving Eunice Wise, for who Orville becomes a nemesis, grow ever more dislikable as Orville is vindicated post-mortem. They ultimately get the life outcome they deserve.
In summary, the narrative perspective Adams chose for “Darkness” may prove to have been more enjoyable for the writer than for the reader.
However, the story being narrated, which becomes the de facto plot, is an interesting one. Orville MacDurmot is an engaging character who rises to prominence as an archeologist despite being bullied and ostracized as a child for his family’s poverty, his blindness in one eye and his facial disfigurement. He ultimately embraces his oddities and charts his own path.
The contrasting characters of weak-willed Professor Milt Vale and self-righteous, self-serving Eunice Wise, for who Orville becomes a nemesis, grow ever more dislikable as Orville is vindicated post-mortem. They ultimately get the life outcome they deserve.
In summary, the narrative perspective Adams chose for “Darkness” may prove to have been more enjoyable for the writer than for the reader.
June 4, 2021
I waited two years for this novel and was not disappointed. DAR is true to form in his latest novel. Using a multilayered narrative style he unravels the mystery of a man falsely accused on murder. More importantly Richards writes about the search for beauty and the many pitfalls people encounter while on that search. On other levels he commits insights into literature, academia, status, First Nations, social reform. I especially enjoyed his short paragraph paying homage to Hemingway and the nature of loneliness. While revealing the necessity of compassion, grace, and charity in our lives and the choices we make to either invite them into or discard them from our lives “Darkness” humbles me while encouraging me to live better each moment.
April 23, 2022
I will probably keep reading some DAR novels because there is a lot to like - interesting prose style, the way the stories layer/unlayer and real insight on small communities and their relationships (in my opinion, having grown up in a small town myself). But from the first time I read one of his novels over 30 years ago, I thought his female characters lacked depth and my feeling on that hasn't changed over time. It seems they are always one of two types: vicious, shallow and ultimately pathetic, or they are the "good" ones who are selfless and pure, but also boring and just not interesting characters in any way. I could also do with less of the author's thinly veiled antagonism towards "progressives" because apparently they are all evil and fake people.
August 30, 2021
3.5-4 This book took me a while to read. I kept re-reading the opening pages as Richards writes beautifully well and packs a lot into a sentence. Once I could focus on the plot and had a handle on the characters, my reading pace picked up. I enjoyed how Richards explores the concepts of beauty and evil and the tremendous complexity of human motivations: nothing is simple or purely black and white. Often we back ourselves into corners we can't easily come out of and asking for forgiveness is hard and impacts people's pride and reputations. Beautifully written.
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October 3, 2021In many ways the same again, though I think better controlled this time around. Richards explains in a postscript the pull he felt to reunite the characters of John and Cathy, and that seems to work reasonably well. As ever, someone undeserving of such a fate dies, hated and reviled by the community, and anyone who professes any kind of 'woke' sentiment without actually walking the walk is shredded as a moral coward and total fake human.
February 11, 2024
I was - and am - dubious about the format of telling a story through the conversation of two people. There is too much inherent unreliability in the information being passed on, and it's a distraction for me.
On the other side, David Adams Richards champions the downtrodden and rends the heart like no other author. I am always deeply moved by his writing, and this story was no different.
On the other side, David Adams Richards champions the downtrodden and rends the heart like no other author. I am always deeply moved by his writing, and this story was no different.
December 8, 2021
Close to hypnotically absorbing. The usual Richards quirks are there — perhaps too many threads in the story, too many coincidences, amusing swipes at organizations or ways of thinking he apparently dislikes. The usual strengths are present in full force, however. The storytelling is great, even if this time it's in the form of a conversation that would last an improbable ten or more hours in real life. The challenging consideration of moral questions should leave readers thinking for some time. The prose is in Richards' signature style, simple vocabulary and construction built into a magical and powerful structure. Most of all, the book once again reinforces Richards' position as a writer willing enough and skilled enough to work with a singular vision in both language and ideas.
A review excerpt on the back cover calls Richards the Dostoyevsky of Canadian literature. Possibly. I was more inclined to sense faint echoes of Conrad and Faulkner in this one (the prose style and use of narration for Conrad, the ability of characters to read the motivation and actions of others for Faulkner).
A review excerpt on the back cover calls Richards the Dostoyevsky of Canadian literature. Possibly. I was more inclined to sense faint echoes of Conrad and Faulkner in this one (the prose style and use of narration for Conrad, the ability of characters to read the motivation and actions of others for Faulkner).
July 9, 2021
I found this very hard to get into, I struggled through the first 40 pages. It did get better though, I think the writing style was just different that what I'm used to.
July 14, 2021
I struggled from start to skimming end. Sorry but just could not get into this and in the end didn’t care
July 31, 2021
A haunting quest for the meaning of beauty that jumps decades, and even centuries. Never has The Georgia Straight’s description of Richards as the “Dostoyevsky of Canadian fiction” seemed more apt.
April 21, 2022
It was a bit of a struggle but I finished.
May 19, 2025
3.5!! Enjoyed the format of the story being told through a conversation
May 19, 2025
Darkness is a strikingly clever novel, and David Adams Richards, a powerful and engaging storyteller.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 15 reviews