Book Review – A Candle in the Darkness

In these troubled times sometimes it’s nice to escape – and a good read is the perfect way to help you forget your worries for a while.

Last night I read “A Candle in the Darkness” by Karen Black

Blurb: Is there life after death? Not according to Valerie. Following the accidental death of her husband, Randy, she Valerie was distraught. With her mother-in-law saying repeatedly that Randy was still with her, Valerie’s grief was amplified. Randy, had been the center of her life, and now he was gone. He was not with her. He died and was buried in a casket in the ground.
In spite of severe storm warnings, and against her in-laws’ advice, Valerie set out for Maryland, where she and Randy had been planning to live. It took a tornado, and the words of a stranger to show Valerie exactly how to move on without Randy; or was it with him?

Rating:  3/5

My thoughts: Valerie doesn’t believe in a life after death. When you’re gone you’re gone, and that is what her husband is. Gone. Taking shelter from a tornado in the cellar of a motel Valerie will learn things she never expected.

A well written short, that is easy to read. Unfortunately I felt a little dissatisfied by the time I got to the end. I found the climax of the story predictable, I had assumed this was where it was going very early into the story. I think I could have forgiven that in a longer read, if I had been given time to really grow to know the characters and their lives. A nice story but missing any wow factor.

Strange Days Indeed

I don’t often post here on non-writing related matters but sometimes you do just have things in your head that need getting out.

What a time we are living in right now – sadly that phrase is often said in relation to wonderful situations, that is certainly not what we are living through.

I always figured that shows like The Walking Dead (which I love BTW) showed a rather negative view of human nature. Here comes a crisis and the human race turns to an “every man for himself” situation, fighting each other than the disaster (or zombies) that are threatening them.

Now, while people aren’t actually killing each other on the streets, there is definitely an unwelcome shift to selfishness.  I don’t recall ever seeing such empty supermarket shelves as people stock up their own supplies, with no thought for those who are unable to do the same and, as a result, will end up going without. No one should be left without access to something as simple as toilet paper!! (Or food of course).

I would like to think that, when the panic fades, all those random tins of soup that people bought, even if they don’t like the variety, will find their way to charities, food banks, or soup kitchens… but my faith in human nature is lacking a little right now.

This time of uncertainty is leaving us all feeling a little lost and unsure of what to do, we can only hope that “this too will pass”… and in time the world can get back on track.

In the meantime stay safe, but stay kind.