The real pleasure of The Edge of Darkness comes from the deep dive into the characters. Approach it from that perspective, and you’ll likely find this book to be a rewarding read.
High Point: The character studies are intriguing–lots of unique outlooks, a few of which show surprising depth.
Low Point: There is no strong central plot, but Chase structured her novel in a way that really doesn’t need one.
Author: Mary Ellen Chase
Publication Date: 1957
Genre: Fiction
Project Gutenberg: Not available
LibriVox: Not available
Movie/TV Adaptation: None
If you are looking for a strong overarching plot in Mary Ellen Chases’ The Edge of Darkness, you won’t find it. The real pleasure of this novel comes from the deep dive into the characters. Approach it from that perspective, and you’ll likely find this book to be a rewarding read.
It describes a day in the life of a tiny fishing village on the coast of Maine during the mid-20th century. The event of the day is the funeral of the village matriarch, but the real story is presented in a series of vignettes about its inhabitants. Everyone is included: business owners, fishermen and women, the crooks, and the local hooker. Even the village children have a unique story.
Each family or single resident has their own history, joys and challenges. Some are hopeful, and some are not. Some, but not all, are headed toward a resolution. One is left to speculate how a few of the little dramas might play out.
As with any small community, everyone knows everyone else, and most of their stories are intertwined. In the end, Chase brings them all together when a few of the principal characters gather at the village store to re-hash the day.
It’s worth noting that it’s not often a book from the 1950s depicts some of its women characters as full partners with their male counterparts. But this book comes awfully close. It doesn’t portray these women as overbearing or their husbands as “henpecked”. It shows them as problem solvers and decision makers, and it treats them naturally and matter-of-factly.
This book is just different. It’s the difference that makes it so satisfying.
