Darkness Runs Deep by Claire McNeel – In the darkest hour, a blood-soaked teenager flees the rural Gerandaroo football oval. Eight months later, Bess, a young teacher, returns home to Gerandaroo where her family still reside along with old school friends.
A childhood game of dare with her former best friend forces Bess to form a women’s footy team to play against Denby, the town’s great rival. Bess, reluctantly, approaches Denby’s young women to recruit players. Many are reluctant to do so, but, with persistence, she manages to form a team.
As training commences, and players become more skilled, they find they have to contend with hostile locals – including Bess’s own father!
Looking forward to playing a rival team, the women hope a victory will help their small community to come back together. On the other hand, will it be the last straw that blows everything apart? As tensions in the town reach boiling point, so too do the many hostilities, secrets and acts of violence that have for years been previously held tight and close!
This is not just a novel about football, but a narrative of Australian life and the cohesion that Aussie Rules brings to the small outback towns and their communities. Although opposition runs deep between communities, (and indeed family members), the love of the game also brings them together, whether in happiness or grief.
These people do it tough, whether at work or play. And, despite much opposition to women playing their beloved sport, hearts and minds are slowly being changed by the spirit and determination of the players.
A beautifully crafted novel that is a must-read for all!
ISBN: 9781761268212
Darkness Runs Deep is available in paperback and audiobook
About Claire McNeel
Claire McNeel is a fifth-generation Melbourne Demons supporter/sufferer, and a former registered nurse and researcher, with a PhD in Neuroscience. She was a finalist for Best Screenplay at the Byron Bay International Film Festival, and this screenplay formed the basis for her debut novel Darkness Runs Deep. She currently lives by the beach in Wadawurrung Country with her dog Homer.