A Dark Slip of Time is a haunting, absorbing novel that follows its protagonists’ souls as they slip through modern-day Toronto and into long-ago time periods.

Allie Sutherland is a single mother and student in Toronto researching medieval Scottish history. Shortly after she has a strange encounter with a man at a hockey rink, the story shifts to 1200s Scotland.

Allie is now Aileen Douglas, married to clan commander Callum Brodie, who resembles the man at the rink. Together, they navigate political instability, threat of an English invasion, violence, and betrayal.

Then, the story turns to 1750 Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Annie Jean Turner’s life as a laundress is a constant struggle. She forms a connection with David Callum Williamson, a Glasgow merchant and ship captain. They embark on a journey back to Scotland with Annie working as a cook’s helper on Callum’s ship.

In all her iterations, Allie feels a sense of longing and loss. Throughout this history, the various couples share a knowing that they belong together, which helps them recognize each other in different settings and timelines.

The novel includes actual historical events, such as the challenges settlers faced in Halifax, described as a town where wolves dug bodies out of the ground and violence and disease were constant threats. Period language creates vivid historical settings and dialogue.

From the start, the novel maintains a strong sense of suspense. In Scotland, Aileen is attacked by one of her kin. In Halifax, two sailors try to drag Annie behind a shed. The plot maintains its gripping pace to the end.

However, transitions between timelines can be jarring. For example, after the man at the rink touches Allie’s wrist, she’s suddenly dragged into space, thrust off a cliff, drowning in darkness, and then finds herself in 1200s Scotland. Such events are abrupt and disorienting.

Still, the novel succeeds at creating atmospheric settings, and its thrilling scenes and memorable characters, whose connection withstands multiple lives, make for an engaging read.