In Darkness, by Nick Lake

Title: In Darkness
Author: Nick Lake
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release: January 17, 2012
Source: Publisher @ BEA '11
Purchase: (RJ Julia | Bloomsbury)

In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake a boy is trapped beneath the rubble of a ruined hospital: thirsty, terrified and alone. 'Shorty' is a child of the slums, a teenage boy who has seen enough violence to last a lifetime, and who has been inexorably drawn into the world of the gangsters who rule Site Soleil: men who dole out money with one hand and death with the other. But Shorty has a secret: a flame of revenge that blazes inside him and a burning wish to find the twin sister he lost five years ago. And he is marked. Marked in a way that links him with Toussaint L'Ouverture, the Haitian rebel who two-hundred years ago led the slave revolt and faced down Napoleon to force the French out of Haiti. As he grows weaker, Shorty relives the journey that took him to the hospital, a bullet wound in his arm. In his visions and memories he hopes to find the strength to survive, and perhaps then Toussaint can find a way to be free.

I really didn’t know whether or not I was going to like In Darkness. It’s not what I would usually pick up, but it still peaked my interest when I heard about it. Combining a recent devastating earthquake with a war of the past, In Darkness is a unique book which deals with some heavy topics, yet can still be considered a light read by some.

In Darkness was definitely an eye opener for me. I had no idea how tarnished the country of Haiti was—and is. It’s truly terrible how the people living there have to go about their lives, and I am so thankful that In Darkness allowed me to learn how bad it is for them. I also loved how there was history blended in. It’s like a historical fiction novel mixed with a contemporary!

Nick Lake is an acclaimed author, and I am sure that this book will catch the attention of all the bigwigs out there. I can see “Award-Winning” written all over In Darkness. Lake has a unique writing style, especially when it comes to dialog, but I never found myself lost while reading In Darkness.

In Darkness switches between the perspectives of Shorty, a gangster whose live before the recent earthquake is told, and Toussaint L’Ouverture, the slave who led Haiti’s slaves to freedom in the 1700s. I liked Shorty’s story more, it just caught my interest more than Toussaint’s, but I still enjoyed reading about the important part of history that Toussaint influenced heavily.

In Darkness is an eye-opening novel that is sure to make some waves. I am very thankful to have read it, and am definitely excited to see where this novel goes. It wasn’t necessarily a favorite of mine, but I do think In Darkness is a book almost everyone should read.