''Daughter of Darkness'' is a 1972 psychological

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

written by Jan and Robert Lowell, a husband and wife who use the joint pseudonym J. R. Lowell.

Plot

A young woman named Willamina "Willie" Connolly is the daughter of a prosperous New York couple, editor Matt Connolly and his wife Willamina, an Irish concert pianist. Willie is a

child prodigy A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...

with an extremely high IQ. Her parents believe her to be a happy, contented child, but this is a carefully contrived mask. Her primary motivation is independence; she detests anyone making decisions for her, especially based on her age or appearance. Her very name, Willamina Junior, made her feel like a bad carbon copy, until she discovered Gertrude Stein's '' The World Is Round'' and began to call herself Willie. She has made a thorough study of

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

and is an accomplished practitioner of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

and

sympathetic magic Sympathetic magic, also known as imitative magic, is a type of magic based on imitation or correspondence. Similarity and contagion James George Frazer coined the term "sympathetic magic" in '' The Golden Bough'' (1889); Richard Andree, however ...

. Her doll collection is actually an array of poppets which she uses to curse those who displease her. This backfires on her when one of her spells leads to her mother's death. Willie's remorse and her wish to see her father happy again develops over the years into

incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...

uous desire, although Willie herself does not realize it.

Sources

Willie's incantation "Everything that is won't be/ Everything that isn't will be" is from Charles Fort's '' Book of the Damned''. Her sickness-causing chant "A big pain a little pain/ A small pain a great pain" is from '' Witchcraft: Its Power in the World Today'' by

William Seabrook William Buehler Seabrook (February 22, 1884 – September 20, 1945) was an American occultist, explorer, traveler, journalist and writer, born in Westminster, Maryland. He began his career as a reporter and City Editor of the ''Augusta Chronic ...

.Seabrook, William, ''Witchcraft: Its Power in the World Today'' (New York: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1940), p. 32.

Reviews

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' said: "This is an

Other Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

-directed attempt to reach just that market by two script writers who have a perfectly satisfactory story except that it's so obviously prearranged. Willie, circa twelve, is the unnatural child of a talented couple who obviously haven't been paying enough attention to her and her solitary pursuits. When Willie's about to be sent away so that they can travel alone together, she takes to her dolls and her magic books and before very long her mother becomes despondently ill and commits suicide. For two years Willie and her father are undisturbed by the outside world except for the visits of an old friend, a 'ghost hunter,' and finally Elizabeth with whom her father falls in love. Once again not for long, although Jonathan tries and fails to curb the powers of this little pig-tailed Sybil Leek. . . . A readymade item and without sticking too many pins in it, let it go at the fact that it's neither as evil nor frightening as it could have been, should have been."

References

American thriller novels Psychological novels 1972 American novels Novels set in New York City Works published under a pseudonym Novels about witches and witchcraft {{US-novel-stub