The Dark We Know is a spooky story about the ghosts we have to put to rest. It explores the ghosts that are swept aside and the ones that whisper in the dark of the night. Keep reading this book review of The Dark We Know for my full thoughts.
Summary
Art student Isadora Chang swore never to return to Slater. Growing up, Isa never felt at ease in the repressive former mining town, even before she realized she was bisexual—but after the deaths of two of her childhood friends, Slater went from feeling claustrophobic to suffocating. Isa took off before the town could swallow her, too, even though it meant leaving behind everything she knew, including her last surviving friend Mason.
When Isa’s abusive father kicks the bucket, she agrees to come back just long enough to collect the inheritance. But then Mason, son of the local medium, turns up at the cemetery with a revelation and a plea: their friends were murdered by a supernatural entity, and he needs Isa to help stop the evil—before it takes anyone else.
When Isa begins to hear strange songs on the wind, and eerie artwork fills her sketchbook that she can’t recall drawing, she’s forced to stop running and confront her past. Because something is waiting in the shadows of Slater’s valleys, something that feeds on the pain and heartbreak of its children. Whatever it is, it knows Isa’s back… and it won’t let her escape twice.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Dark We Know begins by asking about grief. I was instantly drawn to this theme because I love when we have to stare at the flaws, our complicated relationships, and the painful memories after someone passes away. How do we grief someone we don’t even know if we loved? How does our entire family process these mixed feelings? And for Isa, what is it like going back to the home where we tried to escape? All of these questions are instant hooks in The Dark We Know.
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But then Wen-yi Lee turns it also into a story about collective ghosts. About the pieces of a community which end up harboring something which will not stay silent any longer. This supernatural element develops in a way that explores influence, authority, and the past. An element I loved was Isa’s relationship with her sister and seeing the way the community has impacted the sister who stayed. The Dark We Know also explores friendships which crumble, are isolated, and full of painful memories. Full of jealously, love, obsession, and resentment.
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