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Title: Character study
Review: The Edge of Darkness is an affectionate yet clear-eyed character study depicting individuals (usually in marriages) in an isolated Maine fishing cove. The plot centers around the death and imminent funeral of the village matriarch, seen through the eyes, experience, and relationships of shopkeeper Lucy. Chapters are fairly brief and somewhat interconnected but stand-alone as studies of the way women (often, though occasionally the men are featured) deal with the daily struggles of relationships, making a living, and hopefulness in an unforgiving environment. In some ways it's a 'feel good' book, in that some of the lives/relationships turn toward hope realized. Yet these are stories which unflinchingly, yet with masterful nuance, describe the fallibilities of flawed people. Capably well-written, non-romanticized, and wonderfully descriptive of the Maine seacoast, the sea itself, and the lives of those who live and work on or near the water.
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