Born in Hampstead, London, Rosalyn Landor is the perfect voice for this chilling, scary tale of obession. She adds mystery, with pinpoint pacing revealing the depth of Sonia’s dark desires. Much in demand as a child actress today Landor is sought after for her voice work and Tv appearances. She’s the frosting on the cake for this noir drama.
As for author Penny Hancock - wowser! What a debut! Imaginative, clever and chilling Kept In The Dark will hold you in thrall until the last word is spoken.
Sonia is a beautiful 43-year-old woman whose only daughter has left home for university. Home is River House where Sonia grew up in an impressive abode overlooking a bit of London’s Thames.
It isn’t so much that Sonia begins to suffer from empty nest syndrome but it’s the pressure from her often absent husband and aged mother to sell River House, which she is not inclined to do. What happens next seems to be almost as much of a surprise to her as it is to the listener. When her neighbor’s handsome 15-year-old nephew, Jez, knocks on her door to borrow a record album she offers him a glass of wine then another, another until he’s quite drunk. Sonia then locks him in the soundproof music room.
She is overcome by memories of her infatuation with Seb, an apparently homeless adolescent. While this occurred many years before she soon cannot differentiate between then and now, convincing herself that the drugged Jez whose mouth is frequently sealed with duct tape is staying by his own free will. Sonia becomes more deranged and determined to keep him hidden from her family during their visits.
Meanwhile, Jez’s mother, Maria, arrives from Paris to search for him. She blames the neighbor, Helen, for his disappearance and Helen is loathe to have the police discover that on the day of Jez’s disappearance she was not at work but in a pub.
The narration bounces between Sonia and Helen as this haunting tale unfolds. Kept In The Dark is an impressive debut - we look forward to what Hancock will come up with next.
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