Shadows in Darkness. Georgie May Tearle.

Tearle touches upon a number of themes in this sexually explicit and adult short story selection dominated by sex, rape, abuse and murder with the ever-present underworld representing the shadows of darkness of a young, female protagonist striving for happiness and success.
Unfortunately this does not happen.
The female "voice" is fairly constant throughout each of the stories although sometimes she is a single woman still reliant on the security of her parents. At other times she is a married woman abused by her husband or partner, fighting for her survival, trying to make sense of a disturbing world.
The style is modern and reminiscent of the mock Gothic style such as Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey or Sleepy Hollow where you might recollect Johnny Depp and the headless horseman. Imaginative, far-fetched but entertaining. Added to this you have elements of black humour. dark and almost disturbing. Tearle seems to have been experimenting with horror, certainly she enjoys dramatic and gory denouements.
In The Other Woman the persona is a hedonist in pursuit of sexual gratification at any price. her victim, a willing one is Michael her boss. The story hinges on vanity, vanity of pursuit and fulfilment even if it is transient and fickle, meaningless beyond a few exciting grunts and groans then finito. Systematic and characteristic of modern 21st century society. No courtship, no romance. " Love is lust is sex" mentality. I take what I want because I want it.
" I quickly turned to him and gave him a piercingly passionate stare, hoping he realised it meant I wanted him and I knew he wanted me too."
Confident, assertive and arrogant 21st century female. sounds like a satirical depiction of our lustful younger generation striving for sexual gratification and not a meaningful relationship.
" Nothing else mattered but the moment. That amazingly passionate moment."
The Femme Fatale walks out on her boss confident she can find a better job but she misses the sex. No doubt about that. Bitter-sweet therapy. She then spends the next week of her life doing what we would all like to do-contemplating the future, trying to figure out the meaning of life. After being groped then raped in a back alley she returns home full of disgust, anger and extremely hurt half-heartedly contemplating suicide, not once but twice.
With the arrival of the stunningly beautiful Gina, Michael's wife with the " perfect ass" the story takes an unexpected turn with an original and unexpected climax. A love triangle. Try and work that one out if you can!
Publisher: 6913 press. ISBN: 978 0955 2045 Available from Amazon.co.uk

 Copyright 2012. permission to use this review must be obtained from the author.

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