The Dark Chorus by Ashley Meggitt

Some books are a pleasure to read. Others, more of a nightmare. The Dark Chorus, the debut novel from British writer Ashley Meggitt, gave me pleasure, in that it is exquisitely written — but man, those nightmares are going to follow me around for a while.

The novel unfolds in two distinct voices and personalities. The Boy, who remains unnamed throughout, is the primary character. He sees lost souls, calling them his Dark Chorus. Among these souls is the one that belongs to his mother. When we first meet the Boy, he’s in a boys’ home, but he manages to sneak out and persuade a local woman to become the new owner of his mother’s soul. Unfortunately for the poor woman, the ritual involves her death. The Boy’s powers of persuasion and his ability to see these souls is a gift (or curse) that has supernatural and historic origins. These are explored in detail throughout the story. But for now, once he knows his ritual has been unsuccessful, he persists in his mission, despite the intervention of Ma’am, the local detective inspector (also unnamed), and Dr Eve Rhodes, his appointed psychiatrist — the second point-of-view of the novel. Her journey to understanding the Boy’s motivations is as engrossing to read as the Boy’s exploits themselves.

By far the most amazing aspect of The Dark Chorus is the relationship between the triumvirate of the Boy; Makka, an angry and pathalogically violent young man of mixed-Asian heritage; and Vee, a young and damaged girl whom the boys rescue from men who wish to commit heinous acts in her. As they form a friendship, while on the run from both the law and men who want them dead, the Boy’s mission to save his mother’s soul takes on a different perspective. Learning more about his power and his history, the Boy decides he must condemn all corrupted souls into oblivion. The scenes of violence are not for the faint-hearted, but all kudos to Ashley Meggitt: while the death scenes are extreme and bloody, they are not gratuitous. Think of the Boy as being Dexter-like, with only the truly evil being vanquished into nothingness.

Dr Eve Rhodes is a compelling character in her own right. Without giving too much away, as The Dark Chorus proceeds, she learns she may have a connection to the Boy’s power. What she does with this knowledge provides much of the climax’s intensity. As outlandish as all of this may seem at first glance, there is a visceral realism to these dirty streets of London. I give Ashley Meggitt full praise for writing a novel that both horrified and moved me. His hold over his characters only goes so far, because there are forces beyond even his control at work here. For better or worse, when people start dying, there is chaos behind it. But there is also a cleansing taking place, a natural order of things, the way life and death take on a meaning that is unknown to only a few.

The Dark Chorus is a story of revenge and redemption. It is the story of love and loss. It is also the story of the power of friendship and connection. The Boy cannot do what he needs to do without Makka, Vee, and Dr Rhodes. And they in turn, cannot complete their own arcs without him. This is a breath-taking work from an author to keep an eye out for.