In Darkness

Throughout history, there have been certain times that feel like boiling points. Times where anger and frustration seem to be growing and the tension building until something has to give. Anyone living through these past few years, most prominently from 2020 on, is likely to have felt at least American society reaching these boiling points. This seems to be a lot of what Russel Rothberg is trying to respond to in his debut novel, In Darkness. How do we get to these flashpoints of tension, what is it buried in us that gets dragged to the surface, and how do we handle it when it’s bursting out into the open?

In Darkness tells of the small town of Creeks Manor, which has unknowingly become the latest battleground in the eternal struggle between light and dark. A man shows up who, with a single touch, brings anyone’s deepest, darkest, most violent impulses bubbling up to the surface. Anger and resentment that had long been kept in check is set free to leave a trail of chaos and destruction in its wake. Two survivors from a town already destroyed by this force band together to try and keep this influence from spreading before Creeks Manor tears itself apart.

With Rothberg favoring short chapters and straightforward prose, In Darkness makes for a fairly quick read. This is helped by the fact it’s compelling and tense enough to keep you drawn in, wanting to see where things are going. There’s something Stephen King-esque to the writing, similar in both its strengths and weaknesses; the opening chapters introducing us to Creeks Manor almost feeling like they could be introducing us to Jersualem’s Lot or Derry. The scenes of violence spread out at just the right pacing throughout the book are vivid, gruesome, and disturbing in all the right ways. From the opening prologue, describing a bloodbath in a prison, it’s clear that no punches will be held, even if it’s a steady build before the next outburst. They’re images that stand out sharply in the mind, horrifying and visceral.

There are a few plot holes, a few things that feel like a stretch or like they don’t quite add up; for example, I was trying to figure out how someone who has escaped from prison can just show up a wealthy tech mogul a few chapters later using his same name. The climax feels like deus ex machina. And there are a small handful of relationships that feel shoehorned in that pop up quickly and have no real chemistry behind why these two people are attracted to each other. On a smaller note, there are certain things that will end up dating the book as time goes on – references to the COVID-19 pandemic, the January 6^th attack on the capitol, a rant about teenagers being glued to their phones and social media. All of these are things that for the most part aren’t enough to take you out of the world, but they do serve as occasional distractions that keep the writing from being next level.

In Darkness is a well-paced read that is perfect for fans of slasher films, tense, and a steady build. It sets out to remind the cynic in us that while we all have darkness in us, we all can carry the light to balance it out. Whatever weak points it has, it remains engaging and entertaining enough to keep you interested. And the Halloween season is the perfect time of year for it to be hitting the shelves.