Dodwell has captured the emotional loss and regrets of a child with her highly suspenseful horror novel. The author has really matured as an author given the story emotional depth and dealing with complicated issues of the emotional state of a grieving mother. The novel has a sense of dread that drips from every page causing the reader onwards before the humanity within the confines of the mind starts to crack. The humanistic approach is very much explored within the terror that pursues. The novella is an excellent case study on the human condition and this is where Dodwell excels. Her stories have always dealt with realistic characters told from a realistic realm that experience otherworld occurrences that turn their lives upside down. She has always had a perchance to giving you three dimensional characters whom you generally care about. In ‘The Given’, she has gone far and above to give us the feeling of deep loss and asks the readers to expand on focussing on regrets and living with the could haves and would haves one experiences with loss. When the catalyst of the supernatural takes hold of the story, the reader is gripped by the terror of the situation. I was pushed forward to the climax of the story and this is where the story really comes into its own. The story ingrains itself into your subconscious long after you read the final sentence. As an extra bonus, the book also includes two short stories that really knock it out of the park. ‘Red Rain’ is a phenomenal story about a natural disaster and two sisters as they face their evitable future. Again, Dodwell shows the horror of a situation that is out of the norm and the human reaction to the situation. The other story ‘The Univited’ explores life and what happens when you adopt a new addition against the judgement of your significant other as the relationship deteriorates. The story is tight and looks at the multi-faceted emotional strands of relationships. The Given is a very strong novel and is highly recommended for all readers of dark fiction and even for the casual reader of fiction. The emotional depth that Dodwell has written is truly remarkable and fantastic in every conceivable way. This is one of my favourite reads of 2018 so far and one that will stand out for me, and this is a book that I will cherish and re-read on multiple occasions. I urge you to get yourself a copy of given this a read because it works on multi-levels and the emotional depth shows us the Fiona Dodwell is an author with great depth and talent.