What do you think?
Rate this book
After the Darkness
Trudy and Bruce Harrison have a happy marriage, a successful business, and three teenage children. One fateful day they take the winding coastal route home, and visit the Ocean View Gallery, perched on the cliff edge. It's not listed in any tourist pamphlet. The artist runs the gallery alone. There are no other visitors. Within the maze of rooms the lone couple begin to feel uneasy – and with good reason.
Trudy and Bruce will be ripped from the safe, secure fabric of their life and will have their world turned upside down and shaken. Attacked, trapped and brutalised, they barely escape the gallery with their lives – only to find there's no real getting away.
Trudy and Bruce will be ripped from the safe, secure fabric of their life and will have their world turned upside down and shaken. Attacked, trapped and brutalised, they barely escape the gallery with their lives – only to find there's no real getting away.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 25, 2012
5 people are currently reading
474 people want to read
About the author
Honey Brown
8 books76 followersHoney Brown lives in country Victoria with her husband and two children. She is the author of four books: Red Queen, The Good Daughter, After the Darkness and Dark Horse. Red Queen was published to critical acclaim in 2009 and won an Aurealis Award, and The Good Daughter was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and shortlisted for the Barbara Jefferis Award in 2011. After the Darkness was selected for the Women's Weekly Great Read and for Get Reading 2012's 50 Books You Can't Put Down campaign. Her fifth novel, Through the Cracks, will be published in 2014.
Also writes under H.M. Brown.
Also writes under H.M. Brown.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
January 18, 2014
Bruce and Trudy Harrison are on their way home after being away for a weekend when a sign for Ocean View Gallery catches their attention. Once inside the gallery they are greeted by the owner Rueben. Rueben gives the couple a short rundown of the history of the gallery and tells them to have a look through on their own. Whilst having a look around they are both amazed at the views overlooking the ocean and the many room that are there. Once they have finished exploring Rueben offers them some coffee, but something doesn't feel right so Bruce and Trudy feel the need to leave in a hurry.
Unfortunately for Bruce and Trudy they were not able to leave as they wanted. What happened next was so unexpected and terrifying to the couple as they had no idea why this was happening to them. Bruce and Trudy were drugged, abused and traumatised and not sure if they would be able to escape. Eventually they were able to get away, but they are both badly bruised and frightened.
Once they arrive home they collect their children from Trudy's mum who was looking after them. Of course at first they don't want to tell anyone about what happened as they still can't quite believe it themselves. But in time they will question themselves as they try and piece together what happened. Did it really happen they way they remember it? And why had they been targeted?
This was a fantastic psychological thriller which had me on the edge of my seat. A fast paced thriller which I really enjoyed and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this type of reading. This is the first book I've read by Honey Brown and I can't wait to read another one by this fabulous Aussie author.
Unfortunately for Bruce and Trudy they were not able to leave as they wanted. What happened next was so unexpected and terrifying to the couple as they had no idea why this was happening to them. Bruce and Trudy were drugged, abused and traumatised and not sure if they would be able to escape. Eventually they were able to get away, but they are both badly bruised and frightened.
Once they arrive home they collect their children from Trudy's mum who was looking after them. Of course at first they don't want to tell anyone about what happened as they still can't quite believe it themselves. But in time they will question themselves as they try and piece together what happened. Did it really happen they way they remember it? And why had they been targeted?
This was a fantastic psychological thriller which had me on the edge of my seat. A fast paced thriller which I really enjoyed and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this type of reading. This is the first book I've read by Honey Brown and I can't wait to read another one by this fabulous Aussie author.
October 5, 2012
After a wonderful weekend of relaxing together on their little holiday, Trudy and Bruce Harrison were meandering their way back home along the Great Ocean Road, when they spied a small sign advertising an art gallery with ocean views. Trudy’s Mum had agreed to have the kids (teens) another night, so they didn’t have to rush home, and they decided a coffee break would be lovely. Trudy was unsettled though, and tried to persuade Bruce to continue on, but he wanted to check it out, which was probably the worst decision of his life!
They were greeted by Reuben, who showed them around the gallery a little, then left them to their own devices, after offering to get them coffee. But Trudy’s sense of unease wouldn’t lift, and Bruce was picking up on it as well…after Bruce had coffee, they decided they needed to get out of there…but they were too late! What followed in the next few hours was horrifying, terrifying and incredibly brutal.
After Trudy and Bruce escaped the gallery, in shock, pain and great fear, they managed to make their way home. The trauma they faced, the fact they couldn’t talk to anyone about what happened, the way their lives crashed in around them, made them doubt each other, doubt their own memories of the attack…
This incredibly gripping psychological thriller had me captivated, I literally could not put it down until I found out how the book ended. This is my first of Aussie author Honey Brown’s books, but it won’t be my last.
Highly recommended to thriller lovers out there!
They were greeted by Reuben, who showed them around the gallery a little, then left them to their own devices, after offering to get them coffee. But Trudy’s sense of unease wouldn’t lift, and Bruce was picking up on it as well…after Bruce had coffee, they decided they needed to get out of there…but they were too late! What followed in the next few hours was horrifying, terrifying and incredibly brutal.
After Trudy and Bruce escaped the gallery, in shock, pain and great fear, they managed to make their way home. The trauma they faced, the fact they couldn’t talk to anyone about what happened, the way their lives crashed in around them, made them doubt each other, doubt their own memories of the attack…
This incredibly gripping psychological thriller had me captivated, I literally could not put it down until I found out how the book ended. This is my first of Aussie author Honey Brown’s books, but it won’t be my last.
Highly recommended to thriller lovers out there!
September 7, 2012
I'd been wanting to read After The Darkness for months and Thrill Week finally provided the perfect opportunity. I picked it up to read a few chapters before bedtime and found myself, at 3am, turning the final page.
In After the Darkness, Trudy and Bruce Harrison are on their way home after a relaxing week away when a sign for the Ocean View Gallery captures their attention. Stepping inside the unusual building they are confronted by a maze of rooms and disquieting sculptures of glass, wood and stone. They dismiss their feelings of unease, admiring the breathtaking vista of the ocean, and accept the gallery owner's offer of coffee. Just minutes later, Bruce is unconscious and as Trudy fights to rouse her husband she is blinded with chemical spray and then bound. Disorientated and terrified the couple are at the mercy of their sadistic captor but with strength born from abject fear they manage to kill the man and escape. In shock, Bruce and Trudy return home, collect their children and try to piece their lives back together but they are haunted by those few hours in the house on the hill and their once charmed lives begin to spiral out of control.
The opening chapters of After the Darkness are gripping. Lulled into complacency by the pleasure of a leisurely drive along The Great Ocean Road and the normality of browsing an art gallery on a warm, sunny day the terror Bruce and Trudy encounter is a sharp, shocking contrast. The first person point of view includes the reader in the journey, I know my own heart began to race as the the drug began to take effect and Trudy's confusion turned to desperate panic. Brown captures the psychological horror of being powerless, facing seemingly certain torture and death at the hands of a mad man. I breathed a sigh of relief at their escape but as the title suggests, it is what comes after that is the focus of this novel.
"I think a part of me knew even then we weren't leaving, not really. Some things you don't escape from."p50
As their bruises ripen and the immediate shock fades the horror does not recede as they hoped and the Harrisons' struggle with the facade of ordinary life. Reaching out to the police results in their claims being summarily dismissed. That leaves the Harrison's with few options and Brown allows us to witness the couple's slow disintegration from post traumatic stress. Both of them operate in a kind of fog, going through the motions but crippled by flashbacks and paranoia. They make poor decisions that exacerbate their feelings of loss of control. Trudy is led astray by a new tenant in one of their properties, Bruce thinks only of making someone pay. Normality blurs - truth and lies, right and wrong, everything tainted by frustrated fear and anger until Trudy and Bruce spiral into the darkness they so desperately tries to escape. This novel reveals it is not enough to just survive a terrible event, it must be overcome.
It should be noted that in an unusual move it is Bruce, not Trudy, who is the target of their sexually predatory captor, allowing Brown to explore a type of victimology rarely featured in fiction. It is Bruce's shame that drives his reaction to the incident, a desperate need to deny what had happened to him coupled with the eventual need to reassert his masculinity with aggression and control. It is his shame that ensures Trudy's silence and her guilt at escaping the worst of the abuse in the gallery.
Once begun, I couldn't put After The Darkness down, caught up in the story of the Harrison's inexorable slide towards destruction. The pacing is compelling, the creeping tension superb and the journey unpredictable. After the Darkness is a stunning psychological thriller that examines the stain on the soul true terror leaves behind.
November 2, 2012
Soapy homophobic drivel set in coastal Victoria. A dull middle class couple, a career woman and a respectable (?) property developer visit an art gallery on the coast where they are abducted and assaulted by a gay man.
The irony of a developer of blocks of flats living in a 10 acre rural property appears to be lost on the author. Despite being middle class, they are apparently quite happy for their daughter to aspire to being a chef – one of the crappiest jobs around.
You can tick off all the current fads off one by one – house renovation (tick), restaurant and cooking shows (tick), controversial artists working with adolscents (tick).
Will appeal to dull, unadventourous types who like the Readers Digest and never venture further than the main analogue TV channels.
The irony of a developer of blocks of flats living in a 10 acre rural property appears to be lost on the author. Despite being middle class, they are apparently quite happy for their daughter to aspire to being a chef – one of the crappiest jobs around.
You can tick off all the current fads off one by one – house renovation (tick), restaurant and cooking shows (tick), controversial artists working with adolscents (tick).
Will appeal to dull, unadventourous types who like the Readers Digest and never venture further than the main analogue TV channels.
June 23, 2014
“‘I’m torn,’ he said. ‘I want people to come, but I don’t want people to come. I always enjoy having them, but once they’re gone I tell myself – I can’t do that again.’” – After the Darkness
I’ve just discovered a new favourite author. I only wish I’d come across Honey Brown's books sooner. Her style is spare yet evocative. Tensions run high in After the Darkness, an unnerving sense of menace propelling the story forward. I literally couldn’t put the book down and read it in one sitting.
The only reason I haven’t rated the book 5 stars is that after such a thrilling and exhilarating beginning and middle, the end came as bit of an anti-climax. To explain why would give away too much, so I won’t. Suffice to say that while it may have taken some of the shine off the story, it hasn’t deterred me in the slightest from reading her other titles.
Honey Brown’s writing is psychological suspense at its finest. I can’t wait to read Dark Horse.
I’ve just discovered a new favourite author. I only wish I’d come across Honey Brown's books sooner. Her style is spare yet evocative. Tensions run high in After the Darkness, an unnerving sense of menace propelling the story forward. I literally couldn’t put the book down and read it in one sitting.
The only reason I haven’t rated the book 5 stars is that after such a thrilling and exhilarating beginning and middle, the end came as bit of an anti-climax. To explain why would give away too much, so I won’t. Suffice to say that while it may have taken some of the shine off the story, it hasn’t deterred me in the slightest from reading her other titles.
Honey Brown’s writing is psychological suspense at its finest. I can’t wait to read Dark Horse.
February 5, 2012
I've been a fan of Honey Brown's writing since Red Queen, which was a fantastic thriller, and After the Darkness is another winner. It has the hallmarks of Honey Brown's writing - highly visual, perfectly paced, full of tension and her deep understanding, and compassion for, the Australian male psyche. What was new for me in this book is the deep sense of discomfort I felt while reading. It's not just the psychological tension, which is razor wire sharp, but also witnessing the character's attempts to resolve their trauma is so disquieting.
I won't go into details to avoid giving away any spoilers, but this is not a story about how heroes are born. This is a detailed examination of fear, both the normal, everyday fears and the full terror of the worst kind of madness. It's an examination of the nature of 'survival' and what that might really mean, in the non-hallmark channel movie kind of way. And finally, it's an exploration of how people can be changed by the exposure to darkness, and how once something brutal and violent has happened, it can become part of who you are, and it left me wondering if the darkness we witness is ever really over.
Highly recommend it :-)
I won't go into details to avoid giving away any spoilers, but this is not a story about how heroes are born. This is a detailed examination of fear, both the normal, everyday fears and the full terror of the worst kind of madness. It's an examination of the nature of 'survival' and what that might really mean, in the non-hallmark channel movie kind of way. And finally, it's an exploration of how people can be changed by the exposure to darkness, and how once something brutal and violent has happened, it can become part of who you are, and it left me wondering if the darkness we witness is ever really over.
Highly recommend it :-)
March 16, 2012
A weeklong getaway; no kids, no work just each other. Bruce and Trudy Harrison are the envy of their friends; they haven’t had infidelity or financial struggles like other long-term married couples. They have three lovely teenage children and a booming property development business in affluent Delaney. And they are still very much in love – so much so, that they take a week every year to just be together.
On the last day of their getaway, Bruce and Trudy spot a sign for the Ocean View Gallery, and decide to go off the beaten path. What they discover is a breathtaking cliff-side architectural wonder – a house of pure artistry. They also meet Reuben, the weathered old architect who is more than happy for them to take a look around his artistic wonderland.
The house is a maze without windows, decorated with finely carved statues and wood that’s smooth as petals. But the Harrisons become uneasy. All alone in this cliff edge house, not another soul in sight… their worry turns to fear when Reuben’s true nature shines through.
What happens next is unthinkable, unimaginable - the prelude to a horror story.
But Bruce and Trudy survive. Barely. They manage to kill their would-be murderer, and escape the house … and that’s when things go wrong.
They return home, and Bruce refuses to call the police. Trudy burns their clothes; out of sight, out of mind. But the truth cannot remain buried. Strange coincidences have Trudy questioning if Reuben wasn’t the only psychopath in that house … does somebody else know what happened? Who was Reuben, and who would take revenge for his death?
When reality blurs and terror reigns, what lengths will people go to forget?
‘After the Darkness’ is the new psychological suspense novel from Australian author Honey Brown.
I had my first taste of Honey Brown last year, with her crime/suspense novel ‘The Good Daughter’… and I was blown away, and knew I wanted to read anything and everything by this author.
The novel starts sedately enough. We meet Trudy and Bruce Harrison on holiday and enjoying post-coital bliss on the last day of their trip. Married for a little over a decade with three beautiful teenage children, Bruce and Trudy are an unassuming, quiet couple. When they make a spur-of-the-moment decision to visit Ocean View Gallery their tour starts out perfectly normal, just another enjoyable weekend jaunt. The house is an architectural delight, and Reuben, artist and guide, is more than happy for them to snoop around his cliff edge home… Then things take a horrific turn when Reuben��s mask is lifted.
Bruce is drugged and tied up, Trudy sprayed in the eyes with a chemical. They are going to die, and it’s only good luck and quick thinking that saves them.
Brown’s opening may sound like a scene out of ‘Saw’ or ‘The Hills Have Eyes’, but it doesn’t read that way initially. Brown instead lulls readers into the picturesque cliff edge house; she takes her time introducing us to this married couple… readers are as tricked by these scenes as Bruce and Trudy are by Reuben’s kindly demeanour. The quiet beforehand makes the violence all the more shattering. And what’s terrifying and terrific about her opener is that it starts out so perfectly normal, as a reader you could picture yourself in Bruce and Trudy’s shoes … so when that normality turns into everybody’s worst nightmare, it’s all the more explosive.
From that initially horrifying beginning, Brown then flips the book on its axis yet again. Because Bruce and Trudy don’t just survive … they kill their murderer, and seemingly get away with it. In the aftermath of escape, with shock settling in and Bruce particularly traumatised by the abuse he suffered, the couple do not call the police. They don’t report their kidnapping, or Reuben’s murder. They burn their clothes, and make up a mugging story to explain their various cuts and bruises. They try to forget. And just as the opening was made all the more terrifying for the normality before the violence, so too is the rest of the book all the more chilling for Bruce and Trudy’s slow burning descent into trauma and madness…
Honey Brown, I am finding, excels in writing suspense from ‘what if?’ You can’t help but read her books and put yourself in the protagonist’s complicated shoes. Bruce and Trudy are an ordinary couple who escape tragedy, barely – and reading their ordeal you do ask the question “what would I do?” “how would I react in that situation?”.
The crux of the story comes from the many tangled and terrible decisions that Bruce and Trudy make following that very question; “what would I do?”. We all like to think that we’re law-abiding. We watch enough crime shows from ‘Law & Order’ to ‘CSI’, and courtroom dramas like ‘The Good Wife’ to know that you can’t hide a murder; criminals always get caught, evidence is always left behind. But what happens when you are the victim, but circumstance turns against you and your moral code is no longer so black and white.
'Does it feel real to you?' I said. 'Sometimes it's like my body knows but my mind isn't sure it happened.'
Bruce went through each photo again, quicker this time, looking at the shot in its entirety, trying to get an outsider's perspective.
'It's the things I did that remind me the most. I should have stopped before killing him.' He looked sideways at me in the dark. 'I got it for a second, you know? I wanted him dead, I wanted him destroyed, and I wanted to feel it happen, and do it, and to...' He breathed out. Even in the gloom I could see he'd turned pale. 'It was like I'd been given permission to act like that, but not by God or anything good.'
'By nature?'
'Then why does it feel so wrong?'
'Nature isn't necessarily good.'
‘After the Darkness’ is also a deep and dark journey into post-trauma. In the days, weeks and months after their ordeal, Trudy and Bruce experience very different reactions to the violence. They go through warped stages of grief and guilt – all misplaced and not-quite-right for them being both the victims, and murderers. But the aftermath is made all the worse because it is a choking secret – they can’t tell their children, though they can sense something is wrong in their parent’s marriage. Trudy’s friends suspect an extramarital affair, while Bruce’s parents openly snicker at them hitting the first real bump in their relationship. And their marriage does suffer under the burden and strain of their shared secret trauma;
His body tensed and I felt his breath, warm with grief, against my skin. That day was so real then. I'd been right - our bodies did know, the memory lived inside our bones; using our bodies had released it into our bloodstream. That house surged in our brains. We could taste, smell, feel Reuben's house. Reuben was in bed with us, he was vivid. His thoughts in our heads and his will to hurt us were tangible. He was in the light sheen of sweat covering our bodies. We would have to get up and wash him off.
Paranoia creeps in as Trudy and Bruce’s memories of that frightening day begin to blur around the edges. Trudy starts wondering if she heard another man’s voice in the house with Reuben, and if a string of coincidences since are linked to someone taking vengeance for Reuben’s death. Their fear starts to feed off one another and takes them down an even darker path… leading them to learn how easy it can be to turn from victim to abuser, innocent to monster.
‘After the Darkness’ is chilling and riveting. It’s a psychological/suspense story, made all the more frightening for the normality that precedes the horror. It’s a story about victims and killers, and how easily that line can blur as Bruce and Trudy Harrison start to realize that you can survive, but never escape. Honey Brown is an exquisite storyteller who will make your heart race and spine tingle. You must, must, must read her books for a good dose of thoughtful fear.
On the last day of their getaway, Bruce and Trudy spot a sign for the Ocean View Gallery, and decide to go off the beaten path. What they discover is a breathtaking cliff-side architectural wonder – a house of pure artistry. They also meet Reuben, the weathered old architect who is more than happy for them to take a look around his artistic wonderland.
The house is a maze without windows, decorated with finely carved statues and wood that’s smooth as petals. But the Harrisons become uneasy. All alone in this cliff edge house, not another soul in sight… their worry turns to fear when Reuben’s true nature shines through.
What happens next is unthinkable, unimaginable - the prelude to a horror story.
But Bruce and Trudy survive. Barely. They manage to kill their would-be murderer, and escape the house … and that’s when things go wrong.
They return home, and Bruce refuses to call the police. Trudy burns their clothes; out of sight, out of mind. But the truth cannot remain buried. Strange coincidences have Trudy questioning if Reuben wasn’t the only psychopath in that house … does somebody else know what happened? Who was Reuben, and who would take revenge for his death?
When reality blurs and terror reigns, what lengths will people go to forget?
‘After the Darkness’ is the new psychological suspense novel from Australian author Honey Brown.
I had my first taste of Honey Brown last year, with her crime/suspense novel ‘The Good Daughter’… and I was blown away, and knew I wanted to read anything and everything by this author.
The novel starts sedately enough. We meet Trudy and Bruce Harrison on holiday and enjoying post-coital bliss on the last day of their trip. Married for a little over a decade with three beautiful teenage children, Bruce and Trudy are an unassuming, quiet couple. When they make a spur-of-the-moment decision to visit Ocean View Gallery their tour starts out perfectly normal, just another enjoyable weekend jaunt. The house is an architectural delight, and Reuben, artist and guide, is more than happy for them to snoop around his cliff edge home… Then things take a horrific turn when Reuben��s mask is lifted.
Bruce is drugged and tied up, Trudy sprayed in the eyes with a chemical. They are going to die, and it’s only good luck and quick thinking that saves them.
Brown’s opening may sound like a scene out of ‘Saw’ or ‘The Hills Have Eyes’, but it doesn’t read that way initially. Brown instead lulls readers into the picturesque cliff edge house; she takes her time introducing us to this married couple… readers are as tricked by these scenes as Bruce and Trudy are by Reuben’s kindly demeanour. The quiet beforehand makes the violence all the more shattering. And what’s terrifying and terrific about her opener is that it starts out so perfectly normal, as a reader you could picture yourself in Bruce and Trudy’s shoes … so when that normality turns into everybody’s worst nightmare, it’s all the more explosive.
From that initially horrifying beginning, Brown then flips the book on its axis yet again. Because Bruce and Trudy don’t just survive … they kill their murderer, and seemingly get away with it. In the aftermath of escape, with shock settling in and Bruce particularly traumatised by the abuse he suffered, the couple do not call the police. They don’t report their kidnapping, or Reuben’s murder. They burn their clothes, and make up a mugging story to explain their various cuts and bruises. They try to forget. And just as the opening was made all the more terrifying for the normality before the violence, so too is the rest of the book all the more chilling for Bruce and Trudy’s slow burning descent into trauma and madness…
Honey Brown, I am finding, excels in writing suspense from ‘what if?’ You can’t help but read her books and put yourself in the protagonist’s complicated shoes. Bruce and Trudy are an ordinary couple who escape tragedy, barely – and reading their ordeal you do ask the question “what would I do?” “how would I react in that situation?”.
The crux of the story comes from the many tangled and terrible decisions that Bruce and Trudy make following that very question; “what would I do?”. We all like to think that we’re law-abiding. We watch enough crime shows from ‘Law & Order’ to ‘CSI’, and courtroom dramas like ‘The Good Wife’ to know that you can’t hide a murder; criminals always get caught, evidence is always left behind. But what happens when you are the victim, but circumstance turns against you and your moral code is no longer so black and white.
'Does it feel real to you?' I said. 'Sometimes it's like my body knows but my mind isn't sure it happened.'
Bruce went through each photo again, quicker this time, looking at the shot in its entirety, trying to get an outsider's perspective.
'It's the things I did that remind me the most. I should have stopped before killing him.' He looked sideways at me in the dark. 'I got it for a second, you know? I wanted him dead, I wanted him destroyed, and I wanted to feel it happen, and do it, and to...' He breathed out. Even in the gloom I could see he'd turned pale. 'It was like I'd been given permission to act like that, but not by God or anything good.'
'By nature?'
'Then why does it feel so wrong?'
'Nature isn't necessarily good.'
‘After the Darkness’ is also a deep and dark journey into post-trauma. In the days, weeks and months after their ordeal, Trudy and Bruce experience very different reactions to the violence. They go through warped stages of grief and guilt – all misplaced and not-quite-right for them being both the victims, and murderers. But the aftermath is made all the worse because it is a choking secret – they can’t tell their children, though they can sense something is wrong in their parent’s marriage. Trudy’s friends suspect an extramarital affair, while Bruce’s parents openly snicker at them hitting the first real bump in their relationship. And their marriage does suffer under the burden and strain of their shared secret trauma;
His body tensed and I felt his breath, warm with grief, against my skin. That day was so real then. I'd been right - our bodies did know, the memory lived inside our bones; using our bodies had released it into our bloodstream. That house surged in our brains. We could taste, smell, feel Reuben's house. Reuben was in bed with us, he was vivid. His thoughts in our heads and his will to hurt us were tangible. He was in the light sheen of sweat covering our bodies. We would have to get up and wash him off.
Paranoia creeps in as Trudy and Bruce’s memories of that frightening day begin to blur around the edges. Trudy starts wondering if she heard another man’s voice in the house with Reuben, and if a string of coincidences since are linked to someone taking vengeance for Reuben’s death. Their fear starts to feed off one another and takes them down an even darker path… leading them to learn how easy it can be to turn from victim to abuser, innocent to monster.
‘After the Darkness’ is chilling and riveting. It’s a psychological/suspense story, made all the more frightening for the normality that precedes the horror. It’s a story about victims and killers, and how easily that line can blur as Bruce and Trudy Harrison start to realize that you can survive, but never escape. Honey Brown is an exquisite storyteller who will make your heart race and spine tingle. You must, must, must read her books for a good dose of thoughtful fear.
April 28, 2012
Trudy and her husband Bruce are returning home from a holiday down the Great Ocean Road when they see a sign for an isolated ocean view gallery. On a whim they decide to stop in and see it, finding only a man named Reuben who gives them carte blanche to explore the very unusual house and its strange artworks. Trudy and Bruce are a little uneasy and decide that it might be time to hit the road again and remove themselves from this weird house and its even weirder occupant.
A decision to have a cup of coffee before leaving is a big mistake. When Trudy and Bruce escape some hours later they are battered and bruised, barely conscious (Bruce) and almost blind (Trudy) and Reuben is dead. They struggle with what they should do – go to the police or keep it quiet? They go home to their three children, trying to keep themselves together but the cracks are showing early. They try to go about their normal lives but the events of the clifftop house are creeping into their everyday routines. When someone new inserts himself into their world, Bruce is immediately suspicious. Before too long Trudy and Bruce can no longer tell if their memories of what happened that day are true or distorted, nor can they know who they can trust. Suspicion is everywhere, danger lurks around every corner, exposure threatens every minute.
Bruce decides to take drastic action, to not be a victim any longer. To hunt down those he believes are posing a threat to him and his family and eradicate them forever. Trudy wants to know the truth, she wants to remove herself from a bad situation but she’s a little worried about Bruce’s state of mind. What happens will change their lives once again and further push the boundaries for how far two people are prepared to go to protect themselves and those around them once a line has been crossed that can never be taken back.
After The Darkness is an interesting read. The first part of the book packs an immediate punch with Trudy and Bruce visiting the strange house/gallery on a clifftop and remarking on the oddness of the layout and the weirdness of the man in residence. They find themselves in a worst nightmare type scenario, drugged and assaulted and looking like they’re going to be murdered whenever Reuben is finished doing…whatever it is he’s going to do with them. Desperation helps them escape and I think the novel steps up a gear here, not action-wise, but psychologically. The deconstruction of both Bruce and Trudy’s state of mind in different ways due to the trauma and some of the difficulties and mind-games they face after, is exquisite. They attempt to keep up appearances for the sake of their children but their attempt is shaky at best, the children easily seeing through the facade and struggling to try and understand just exactly what is wrong with their parents.
There is so much to like about this psychological thriller. Bruce and Trudy are Joe And Jane Average Australian Couple, middle aged-ish in their 40s with three children. They’ve worked hard to build a property development business and even with the downturning market they’re doing quite well. They’ve taken a holiday to relax and enjoy themselves away from their children, some ‘couple time’ and connect. I enjoyed their teasing dynamic, their light-hearted happiness and the way they used the strength they had as a pair to escape their horrific situation. I thought the portrayal of them as a couple and also as individuals after the event, when they are back at home was also spot on. Their kids are typical teenagers, the family dynamic as a whole very believable and realistic. The kids know the parents are keeping secrets from them but they don’t know why and there’s resentment.
The slow sliding mental stability of both Bruce and Trudy is likewise well done without being overly dramatic or hysterical. The trauma manifests in different ways – Trudy becomes claustrophobic, wanting, needing doors and windows open, feeling like things are closing in around her. Bruce becomes aggressive, pro-active, determined not to be a victim. Given what happened to him in the house, that definitely rang true as a really realistic way in which someone like Bruce would deal with that sort of episode. A reassertion of his masculinity, his ability to protect himself and his family, a determination to never be seen as weak again, to never be weak again.
Then this book takes a bit of a turn. It becomes darker, seedier, the actions not justifiable like the ones at the beginning of the book. I went from liking Bruce and Trudy, from sympathizing with them to viewing them warily. The actions left a sour taste in my mouth and an icky feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was definitely not the way I expected this book to go and I think the shock helped contribute to the way I felt about it. It’s very well written, very well paced and extremely well thought out even if it became distasteful and uncomfortable for me to read. That may have been the point, to push the boundaries for what the reader felt comfortable with, what they experienced throughout reading this, to see just how far sympathy could go for two people that had been through something utterly horrific.
I think this book would make a really amazing movie – I could see it all in my head when I was reading it.
A decision to have a cup of coffee before leaving is a big mistake. When Trudy and Bruce escape some hours later they are battered and bruised, barely conscious (Bruce) and almost blind (Trudy) and Reuben is dead. They struggle with what they should do – go to the police or keep it quiet? They go home to their three children, trying to keep themselves together but the cracks are showing early. They try to go about their normal lives but the events of the clifftop house are creeping into their everyday routines. When someone new inserts himself into their world, Bruce is immediately suspicious. Before too long Trudy and Bruce can no longer tell if their memories of what happened that day are true or distorted, nor can they know who they can trust. Suspicion is everywhere, danger lurks around every corner, exposure threatens every minute.
Bruce decides to take drastic action, to not be a victim any longer. To hunt down those he believes are posing a threat to him and his family and eradicate them forever. Trudy wants to know the truth, she wants to remove herself from a bad situation but she’s a little worried about Bruce’s state of mind. What happens will change their lives once again and further push the boundaries for how far two people are prepared to go to protect themselves and those around them once a line has been crossed that can never be taken back.
After The Darkness is an interesting read. The first part of the book packs an immediate punch with Trudy and Bruce visiting the strange house/gallery on a clifftop and remarking on the oddness of the layout and the weirdness of the man in residence. They find themselves in a worst nightmare type scenario, drugged and assaulted and looking like they’re going to be murdered whenever Reuben is finished doing…whatever it is he’s going to do with them. Desperation helps them escape and I think the novel steps up a gear here, not action-wise, but psychologically. The deconstruction of both Bruce and Trudy’s state of mind in different ways due to the trauma and some of the difficulties and mind-games they face after, is exquisite. They attempt to keep up appearances for the sake of their children but their attempt is shaky at best, the children easily seeing through the facade and struggling to try and understand just exactly what is wrong with their parents.
There is so much to like about this psychological thriller. Bruce and Trudy are Joe And Jane Average Australian Couple, middle aged-ish in their 40s with three children. They’ve worked hard to build a property development business and even with the downturning market they’re doing quite well. They’ve taken a holiday to relax and enjoy themselves away from their children, some ‘couple time’ and connect. I enjoyed their teasing dynamic, their light-hearted happiness and the way they used the strength they had as a pair to escape their horrific situation. I thought the portrayal of them as a couple and also as individuals after the event, when they are back at home was also spot on. Their kids are typical teenagers, the family dynamic as a whole very believable and realistic. The kids know the parents are keeping secrets from them but they don’t know why and there’s resentment.
The slow sliding mental stability of both Bruce and Trudy is likewise well done without being overly dramatic or hysterical. The trauma manifests in different ways – Trudy becomes claustrophobic, wanting, needing doors and windows open, feeling like things are closing in around her. Bruce becomes aggressive, pro-active, determined not to be a victim. Given what happened to him in the house, that definitely rang true as a really realistic way in which someone like Bruce would deal with that sort of episode. A reassertion of his masculinity, his ability to protect himself and his family, a determination to never be seen as weak again, to never be weak again.
Then this book takes a bit of a turn. It becomes darker, seedier, the actions not justifiable like the ones at the beginning of the book. I went from liking Bruce and Trudy, from sympathizing with them to viewing them warily. The actions left a sour taste in my mouth and an icky feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was definitely not the way I expected this book to go and I think the shock helped contribute to the way I felt about it. It’s very well written, very well paced and extremely well thought out even if it became distasteful and uncomfortable for me to read. That may have been the point, to push the boundaries for what the reader felt comfortable with, what they experienced throughout reading this, to see just how far sympathy could go for two people that had been through something utterly horrific.
I think this book would make a really amazing movie – I could see it all in my head when I was reading it.
January 5, 2013
After the Darkness is a compelling psychologically thriller set predominantly after a traumatic experience whereby Bruce and Trudy Harrison find themselves facing the unbearable task of trying to move on from a brutal attack in which they barely escaped alive from.
Trudy and Bruce Harrison are making slowly making their way home after a quick get away when fate steps in and has other plans. Having survived the brutal attack by a man named simply as Reuben in what is meant to be an art gallery, the pair return home visibly shaken and worse for wear believing that the worst is over. After all what is a few cuts and bruises and torn off nails when the other option was almost certainly a horrendous death at the hands at unyielding mad man? Believing themselves lucky to be alive, the pair makes a pact to not tell anyone about what had transpired, not their three teenaged kids, their parents, nor the police. Especially not the police. However, back in suburbia fate has other plans for them as shame and fear from what they had experienced, seen and done quickly casts doubts upon their decisions and relationships as they constantly find themselves ill equipped to face the constant pressures of family, work commitments and even the presence of each other.
Although a thriller, majority of this novel is set in the aftermath of the horrific experience that ultimately changes the lives of Bruce and Trudy Harrison. While it is constantly acknowledge that the experience was harrowing and they were lucky to be alive, life post event, just trying to survive and live a normal life proves to be the most difficult task at all. Especially when paranoia and self-doubt raises its ugly head causing the pair to make irrevocable decisions that will forever haunt their lives. Honey Brown’s writing is strengthened by this inclusion of this aftermath and it is this primal focus of the aftermath that really sets this story apart from others within the same genre, ultimately putting the novel somewhat ahead of similar narratives in terms of delivery and depth while challenging the notion of happily ever after. After all who can fulfil the requirements of a lifetime of happily ever afters if the past will not leave them alone?
The focus of the narrative has been well thought out, and is cunning in its creativeness and the way it plays out. Nothing is ever as it seems and yet based on events that you know HAVE transpired, you can’t help but align yourselves with the struggling Harrison clan. Brown’s prose sets the reader up to ask the questions of what would you do in a similar situation? Could you be as strong, or ill-informed as the Harrison’s are depending on your standpoint? Would you be able to see the folly of your ways to prevent yourselves from making similar mistakes or would you be helpless in face of the downward spiral your life was unexpectedly taking? Could you admit your short-comings and failings, or are you doomed to be trapped by them?
Overall this narrative was chilling, confronting and devastating on all fronts. The writing was effortless and Brown has proven herself a master of the art of suspense, with an unfailing eye to the psychological concepts of boundaries and what it means if we were to ever cross those self imposed black and white lines.
You know the saying ‘it was like a car crash that you just couldn’t look away from’, this narrative is like that – for all the right reasons. The writing is superb, the actions harrowing, the effect devastating. A must read for any thriller fan.
Trudy and Bruce Harrison are making slowly making their way home after a quick get away when fate steps in and has other plans. Having survived the brutal attack by a man named simply as Reuben in what is meant to be an art gallery, the pair return home visibly shaken and worse for wear believing that the worst is over. After all what is a few cuts and bruises and torn off nails when the other option was almost certainly a horrendous death at the hands at unyielding mad man? Believing themselves lucky to be alive, the pair makes a pact to not tell anyone about what had transpired, not their three teenaged kids, their parents, nor the police. Especially not the police. However, back in suburbia fate has other plans for them as shame and fear from what they had experienced, seen and done quickly casts doubts upon their decisions and relationships as they constantly find themselves ill equipped to face the constant pressures of family, work commitments and even the presence of each other.
Although a thriller, majority of this novel is set in the aftermath of the horrific experience that ultimately changes the lives of Bruce and Trudy Harrison. While it is constantly acknowledge that the experience was harrowing and they were lucky to be alive, life post event, just trying to survive and live a normal life proves to be the most difficult task at all. Especially when paranoia and self-doubt raises its ugly head causing the pair to make irrevocable decisions that will forever haunt their lives. Honey Brown’s writing is strengthened by this inclusion of this aftermath and it is this primal focus of the aftermath that really sets this story apart from others within the same genre, ultimately putting the novel somewhat ahead of similar narratives in terms of delivery and depth while challenging the notion of happily ever after. After all who can fulfil the requirements of a lifetime of happily ever afters if the past will not leave them alone?
The focus of the narrative has been well thought out, and is cunning in its creativeness and the way it plays out. Nothing is ever as it seems and yet based on events that you know HAVE transpired, you can’t help but align yourselves with the struggling Harrison clan. Brown’s prose sets the reader up to ask the questions of what would you do in a similar situation? Could you be as strong, or ill-informed as the Harrison’s are depending on your standpoint? Would you be able to see the folly of your ways to prevent yourselves from making similar mistakes or would you be helpless in face of the downward spiral your life was unexpectedly taking? Could you admit your short-comings and failings, or are you doomed to be trapped by them?
Overall this narrative was chilling, confronting and devastating on all fronts. The writing was effortless and Brown has proven herself a master of the art of suspense, with an unfailing eye to the psychological concepts of boundaries and what it means if we were to ever cross those self imposed black and white lines.
You know the saying ‘it was like a car crash that you just couldn’t look away from’, this narrative is like that – for all the right reasons. The writing is superb, the actions harrowing, the effect devastating. A must read for any thriller fan.
March 21, 2012
The problem I had with an earlier book of Honey Brown's was that whilst the thriller aspects of the book really worked, I was less convinced by the post-apocalyptic scenario and the happy ever after ending. AFTER THE DARKNESS solved those personal prejudices, and presented me with a thriller that worked on just about every level.
I just love thrillers that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up, that present a scenario that's unexpected, quietly disconcerting and extremely worrying. Particularly where the tension ramps up, the outcome's not immediately apparent, and the resolution ambiguous. AFTER THE DARKNESS takes a pretty normal married couple, successful in their business, happy in their family life and their love and relationship together, and in one seemingly innocent outing, rips that into little tiny itty bitty shreds. It then takes these two traumatised individuals, Bruce and Trudy Harrison, and makes everything a whole lot worse.
Whilst the ramp up is nicely paced, what really works in AFTER THE DARKNESS is the realness of the whole thing. Of course a holidaying couple would take a short bypass to an art gallery on the road back home. Of course they would fail to recognise the menace until it was too late (not everyone goes around expecting the worst after all!). Of course they would do whatever it took to save each other. Of course they would struggle to talk about the shocking situation they found themselves in afterwards. Of course they would react when the threat continues, and of course they would do what ever it takes when the threat gets too close to home.
All of which adds up to one of those much touted, and often not achieved, "unputdownable book". But AFTER THE DARKNESS truly was very difficult to put down. The writing is taut and subtle, the tension is built within the reader's head, as it builds in the characters lives. There are clever differences in the plot which give Brown options to explore the couple's individual and combined reactions and relationships giving the book a refreshingly different outlook. The characterisations aren't stereotypical - Bruce and Trudy may be a married couple, but their roles and reactions aren't limited by their gender and standard expectation. There's cross-over and ambiguity in their reactions, actions, and responsibilities. It's that realness thing again - they seem like very real people, in a very real scenario that's spiralling rapidly.
It's actually not that often that I find myself immersed in a book that I truly can't put down. Not only was AFTER THE DARKNESS one of the best thrillers of it's kind I've read in a long time, it gave me a chance to work long and hard on some good "can't sorry... reading" excuses.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie... for the review on my site.
I just love thrillers that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up, that present a scenario that's unexpected, quietly disconcerting and extremely worrying. Particularly where the tension ramps up, the outcome's not immediately apparent, and the resolution ambiguous. AFTER THE DARKNESS takes a pretty normal married couple, successful in their business, happy in their family life and their love and relationship together, and in one seemingly innocent outing, rips that into little tiny itty bitty shreds. It then takes these two traumatised individuals, Bruce and Trudy Harrison, and makes everything a whole lot worse.
Whilst the ramp up is nicely paced, what really works in AFTER THE DARKNESS is the realness of the whole thing. Of course a holidaying couple would take a short bypass to an art gallery on the road back home. Of course they would fail to recognise the menace until it was too late (not everyone goes around expecting the worst after all!). Of course they would do whatever it took to save each other. Of course they would struggle to talk about the shocking situation they found themselves in afterwards. Of course they would react when the threat continues, and of course they would do what ever it takes when the threat gets too close to home.
All of which adds up to one of those much touted, and often not achieved, "unputdownable book". But AFTER THE DARKNESS truly was very difficult to put down. The writing is taut and subtle, the tension is built within the reader's head, as it builds in the characters lives. There are clever differences in the plot which give Brown options to explore the couple's individual and combined reactions and relationships giving the book a refreshingly different outlook. The characterisations aren't stereotypical - Bruce and Trudy may be a married couple, but their roles and reactions aren't limited by their gender and standard expectation. There's cross-over and ambiguity in their reactions, actions, and responsibilities. It's that realness thing again - they seem like very real people, in a very real scenario that's spiralling rapidly.
It's actually not that often that I find myself immersed in a book that I truly can't put down. Not only was AFTER THE DARKNESS one of the best thrillers of it's kind I've read in a long time, it gave me a chance to work long and hard on some good "can't sorry... reading" excuses.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie... for the review on my site.
September 10, 2012
After the Darkness is an extremely well crafted and suspenseful psychological thriller which kept me reading until late into the night, unable to put the book down before I could find out the outcome. What begins as the last day of a wonderful holiday for a loving married couple, Trudy and Bruce Harrison, soon turns into a nightmare when they innocently stumble into the lair of a depraved sexual predator and killer, disguised as an art gallery and tourist attraction along Australia’s scenic Great Ocean Road. Drugged, abused and traumatised the couple barely mange to escape with their own lives, but with the burden of Bruce having killed their attacker in their struggle for survival. With Bruce having fared worst in the attack, his shame and reluctance to tell the whole story stops them from contacting the police until days later. However, the couple’s story is met with disbelief by authorities, who are unable to find anything sinister in the location described. Which only leaves one explanation: the killer had not acted alone, and someone may still be out there, watching them ….
For me, the strength of the story lay in the way the author explores how extraordinary things can happen to innocent, ordinary people, irrevocably changing their lives forever. The slow unravelling of the normal life of an everyday law-abiding couple, and the events which finally push them across previous held boundaries of moral and ethical guidelines and beliefs, chilled me to the bone. So plausible was the author’s plot, and so well explored were the thoughts and feelings of the novel’s main protagonists, that I could easily put myself in their shoes and feel their utter sense of terror and disbelief as things slowly spin out of control, like a small pebble dislodging a huge landslide. Decisions made in fear and out of self-preservation soon have horrific consequences the couple would not have been able to imagine in their darkest nightmares. Interspersed with descriptions of ordinary family live, the events unfolding take on an even more sinister character.
With its setting in Australia, the story seemed even more real to me, conjuring up vivid images of the places described in the book. I had to blink to remind myself that I was reading the book in the safety of my own home. To call the plot simple would be doing it a huge injustice, but its seeming simplicity, or ordinariness, is its greatest asset. This could easily happen to any of us, which makes it more terrifying than a lot of the graphic action packed thrillers I have read this year. This is a brilliant, suspenseful novel – highly recommended to any lover of psychological thrillers. I will be looking out for more from this author.
For me, the strength of the story lay in the way the author explores how extraordinary things can happen to innocent, ordinary people, irrevocably changing their lives forever. The slow unravelling of the normal life of an everyday law-abiding couple, and the events which finally push them across previous held boundaries of moral and ethical guidelines and beliefs, chilled me to the bone. So plausible was the author’s plot, and so well explored were the thoughts and feelings of the novel’s main protagonists, that I could easily put myself in their shoes and feel their utter sense of terror and disbelief as things slowly spin out of control, like a small pebble dislodging a huge landslide. Decisions made in fear and out of self-preservation soon have horrific consequences the couple would not have been able to imagine in their darkest nightmares. Interspersed with descriptions of ordinary family live, the events unfolding take on an even more sinister character.
With its setting in Australia, the story seemed even more real to me, conjuring up vivid images of the places described in the book. I had to blink to remind myself that I was reading the book in the safety of my own home. To call the plot simple would be doing it a huge injustice, but its seeming simplicity, or ordinariness, is its greatest asset. This could easily happen to any of us, which makes it more terrifying than a lot of the graphic action packed thrillers I have read this year. This is a brilliant, suspenseful novel – highly recommended to any lover of psychological thrillers. I will be looking out for more from this author.
December 22, 2012
Trudy and Bruce Harrison seem to have it all – a happy marriage, three healthy children and a successful business. Then one afternoon as they are returning home from a trip away they make the fateful decision to stop at a Gallery on a lonely, country road. What happens there changes their comfortable life in an instant and sends them on a journey that will test everything they thought was safe in their world.
Right from the beginning you get a sense of reality about this novel – that something like this could happen to an average couple who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I liked the way the author explored the different ways that people cope with the same event and how self-preservation is ultimately the most powerful driving force for most human beings when faced with adversity.
I thought both the main characters were well developed and believable. Although you may not entirely agree with their actions, you could understand how fear can drive people to do things they wouldn’t normally consider. You also understand that until you have faced a traumatic experience, you really can’t predict just how you would respond.
Suspenseful right from the beginning, After The Darkness is also a compelling read that twists and turns in many directions before reaching its conclusion. Yet at the same time you also get the sense that something like this is never really over, that Bruce and Trudy will always live with the shadow of that one afternoon and all its aftermaths.
Right from the beginning you get a sense of reality about this novel – that something like this could happen to an average couple who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I liked the way the author explored the different ways that people cope with the same event and how self-preservation is ultimately the most powerful driving force for most human beings when faced with adversity.
I thought both the main characters were well developed and believable. Although you may not entirely agree with their actions, you could understand how fear can drive people to do things they wouldn’t normally consider. You also understand that until you have faced a traumatic experience, you really can’t predict just how you would respond.
Suspenseful right from the beginning, After The Darkness is also a compelling read that twists and turns in many directions before reaching its conclusion. Yet at the same time you also get the sense that something like this is never really over, that Bruce and Trudy will always live with the shadow of that one afternoon and all its aftermaths.
April 3, 2012
I also put off reading this for a little while, as I thought it was going to be darker than Honey's two previous books. I couldn't delay it any longer! Once I started I didn't put it down & polished it off in an afternoon.
This is a riveting read once again & is a very different story to her other 2 books. Using my sister's words "It is brilliant, disturbing and tense and has the honesty of language and situation I've come to expect from Honey Brown. She has a real feel for how events can change lives, and that what happens after those events might not be what we expect. This is no formulaic detective novel and, like Red Queen and The Good Daughter, I was left thinking "My God, this could happen, just like this". Her books are a reminder that real life is rarely neat and straight forward."
Thank you Honey Brown for another brilliantly written book. I can't wait for the next! Your books take my breath away!
This is a riveting read once again & is a very different story to her other 2 books. Using my sister's words "It is brilliant, disturbing and tense and has the honesty of language and situation I've come to expect from Honey Brown. She has a real feel for how events can change lives, and that what happens after those events might not be what we expect. This is no formulaic detective novel and, like Red Queen and The Good Daughter, I was left thinking "My God, this could happen, just like this". Her books are a reminder that real life is rarely neat and straight forward."
Thank you Honey Brown for another brilliantly written book. I can't wait for the next! Your books take my breath away!
March 25, 2012
Fantastic Australian psychological thriller. It seems possible to me that this storyline could actually take place. I enjoyed watching the characters' beliefs tested and seeing there's a lot of grey in between the black and white of good versus evil.
January 2, 2013
I picked up After the Darkness by Honey Brown for a few reasons. First, I'd heard very good things about her debut novel Red Queen (which I still want to read but have yet to get my hands on), second, it was only $3 on iBooks, third, it sounded like something I could count towards my new Aussie Horror Reading Challenge and finally, I read the sample and had to keep reading. This review contains vague, non-essential spoilers.
After the Darkness is the story of married couple with three kids, Trudy and Bruce, told from Trudy's point of view. On the way home from a holiday away from the kids down the Great Ocean Road, the couple stop at a small art gallery on a whim. The art is creepy and Trudy has a bad feeling the entire time they're there. A feeling that's entirely vindicated when the owner-artist drugs and assaults them. They escape and the bulk of the narrative is about them dealing with the repercussions of what happened in the gallery.
There is a lot of interesting psychology in this book. Bruce was victimised (and fair warning: tortured and sexually assaulted, mostly off the page) to a greater extent than Trudy and had a harder time coping with it after the fact. Which isn't to say that Trudy didn't have post-traumatic stress flashbacks. Initially, though, Trudy was the one that had to hold everything together. A nice change from the woman being the greater victim. In that respect, it's also a story about howthe patriarchy society makes it harder for men to express their feelings and talk about their vulnerability. I strongly feel that if their victim-roles had been reversed, the story of their respective coping would have played out very differently.
Although the book is called After the Darkness, it's really about how hard it is to leave the darkness behind. This paragraph, just as they're making their escape, highlights the early struggles they face:
It's also about how darkness is often contagious, touching on the way in which abuse victims often go on to re-enact their trauma as a way of coming to terms with it. And the hopelessness that comes with fearing for your life. And having to relate to people in a life you have to pretend is normal. This line illustrates that sentiment nicely, when Trudy is trying to relate to her friends again:
The prose in After the Darkness was lovely. From the beginning, before anything bad happens, when I knew Brown was sprinkling in a bit of mundane normality for later comparison, I was immediately engaged. Trudy and Bruce started off as a happy couple, which deteriorated into a traumatised couple later on. However, I liked that their experience didn't drive a wedge between them. They hadn't suffered in the same way, but they didn't drift apart in their suffering. Indeed, the fact that the other was the only one who could come close to understanding what happened, kept them close.
It's debatable how much of a horror book this is and how much psychological drama or thriller. But there's a lot of the feeling of creeping dread (which I think is my new favourite term for describing horror), and many horrific elements, coming both from within and without, so I would definitely class it as horror. Which isn't to say readers of crime or contemporary books won't enjoy it and count it within their genres.
I highly recommend After the Darkness to anyone after a creepy read. I read it quite quickly and found it difficult to put down. I think it will appeal broadly to readers of several genres, particularly those that enjoy their creepiness and psychological drama in a contemporary Australian setting.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
After the Darkness is the story of married couple with three kids, Trudy and Bruce, told from Trudy's point of view. On the way home from a holiday away from the kids down the Great Ocean Road, the couple stop at a small art gallery on a whim. The art is creepy and Trudy has a bad feeling the entire time they're there. A feeling that's entirely vindicated when the owner-artist drugs and assaults them. They escape and the bulk of the narrative is about them dealing with the repercussions of what happened in the gallery.
There is a lot of interesting psychology in this book. Bruce was victimised (and fair warning: tortured and sexually assaulted, mostly off the page) to a greater extent than Trudy and had a harder time coping with it after the fact. Which isn't to say that Trudy didn't have post-traumatic stress flashbacks. Initially, though, Trudy was the one that had to hold everything together. A nice change from the woman being the greater victim. In that respect, it's also a story about how
Although the book is called After the Darkness, it's really about how hard it is to leave the darkness behind. This paragraph, just as they're making their escape, highlights the early struggles they face:
The terror actually heightened as we left. The open garage gaped behind us. My body grew rigid. It was difficult to steer or accelerate. I think a part of me knew even then that we weren't leaving, not really. Some things you don't escape from.
It's also about how darkness is often contagious, touching on the way in which abuse victims often go on to re-enact their trauma as a way of coming to terms with it. And the hopelessness that comes with fearing for your life. And having to relate to people in a life you have to pretend is normal. This line illustrates that sentiment nicely, when Trudy is trying to relate to her friends again:
Brutality somehow managed to make a mockery of everything that was not brutal.
The prose in After the Darkness was lovely. From the beginning, before anything bad happens, when I knew Brown was sprinkling in a bit of mundane normality for later comparison, I was immediately engaged. Trudy and Bruce started off as a happy couple, which deteriorated into a traumatised couple later on. However, I liked that their experience didn't drive a wedge between them. They hadn't suffered in the same way, but they didn't drift apart in their suffering. Indeed, the fact that the other was the only one who could come close to understanding what happened, kept them close.
It's debatable how much of a horror book this is and how much psychological drama or thriller. But there's a lot of the feeling of creeping dread (which I think is my new favourite term for describing horror), and many horrific elements, coming both from within and without, so I would definitely class it as horror. Which isn't to say readers of crime or contemporary books won't enjoy it and count it within their genres.
I highly recommend After the Darkness to anyone after a creepy read. I read it quite quickly and found it difficult to put down. I think it will appeal broadly to readers of several genres, particularly those that enjoy their creepiness and psychological drama in a contemporary Australian setting.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
January 10, 2013
There's a line somewhere late in AFTER THE DARKNESS, about how brutality somehow manages to make a mockery of everything that isn't brutal.
That's what this book is about. It's a mockery of the non-brutal, told with such disarming conviction that you find yourself believing even the most outrageous circumstances, the most horrifying details. The book also, in a way, mocks the brutal, as each act of brutality ends in more chaos, more unexpected horror. More... darkness.
For me, somewhere around chapter two, the word 'masterful' appeared inside my skull and kept pulsing, dully, like dirty neon intermittently thereafter. Because this is a masterful book. Every time I thought I'd managed to work out where the story was going, the story did just that. It went there. For a chapter. It moved into the narrative I'd pictured the book becoming, & then it went right on out the other side - with everything worsening at each turn. The book then veered into new directions - new examples of violence or chaos, new badness, new misery. And like one of Pavlov's subjects, I was hooked. I would guess again. And again. I was completely at the author's mercy for this story (& frankly, there's not a lot of that in the book).
This is a savage psychological thriller. It's smart, it's sexy - yes, sexy - it's frightening, and it's beautifully, convincingly written. I loved this book, & I hope Brown does a dozen more just like it.
One of the great pieces of verisimilitude in this book (I dunno, are we writers the only people who use 'verisimilitude'? I so often can't find another word that matches it) is the family life. The cosy, awkward life of Trudy and Bruce and their three teenaged kids. The details of homework, horseriding, schooling, cooking, and visits to Gran's. The way this is threatened. The life that comes 'after'. And the other kinds of threats, not just of violence, but destruction of a kind - from the people that prey on the weak.
I can't say much: I don't want to give it away.
I wasn't a fan of the title at first, but I became convinced. During chapter 1, I thought I knew why it was called AFTER THE DARKNESS: because the book is not about what it appears to be about in chapter 1. It's about what comes *after* that. But by the end of the novel, I realised the title was even smarter than that. Because there is no after. When the darkness enters, there is only ... darkness.
#aww2013 no.04
That's what this book is about. It's a mockery of the non-brutal, told with such disarming conviction that you find yourself believing even the most outrageous circumstances, the most horrifying details. The book also, in a way, mocks the brutal, as each act of brutality ends in more chaos, more unexpected horror. More... darkness.
For me, somewhere around chapter two, the word 'masterful' appeared inside my skull and kept pulsing, dully, like dirty neon intermittently thereafter. Because this is a masterful book. Every time I thought I'd managed to work out where the story was going, the story did just that. It went there. For a chapter. It moved into the narrative I'd pictured the book becoming, & then it went right on out the other side - with everything worsening at each turn. The book then veered into new directions - new examples of violence or chaos, new badness, new misery. And like one of Pavlov's subjects, I was hooked. I would guess again. And again. I was completely at the author's mercy for this story (& frankly, there's not a lot of that in the book).
This is a savage psychological thriller. It's smart, it's sexy - yes, sexy - it's frightening, and it's beautifully, convincingly written. I loved this book, & I hope Brown does a dozen more just like it.
One of the great pieces of verisimilitude in this book (I dunno, are we writers the only people who use 'verisimilitude'? I so often can't find another word that matches it) is the family life. The cosy, awkward life of Trudy and Bruce and their three teenaged kids. The details of homework, horseriding, schooling, cooking, and visits to Gran's. The way this is threatened. The life that comes 'after'. And the other kinds of threats, not just of violence, but destruction of a kind - from the people that prey on the weak.
I can't say much: I don't want to give it away.
I wasn't a fan of the title at first, but I became convinced. During chapter 1, I thought I knew why it was called AFTER THE DARKNESS: because the book is not about what it appears to be about in chapter 1. It's about what comes *after* that. But by the end of the novel, I realised the title was even smarter than that. Because there is no after. When the darkness enters, there is only ... darkness.
#aww2013 no.04
November 10, 2017
This was my second Honey Brown book, and I approached it with ambivalence, because I was in 2 minds about the first book I’d read of hers. But I only had one opinion about this one (mostly) - it was suspenseful from the beginning, gripping, and by the time I was half-way through, I just had to keep going!
I did feel like the ending was a little anti-climactic, but I’m not sure how else I expected it to end.
I did feel like the ending was a little anti-climactic, but I’m not sure how else I expected it to end.
October 13, 2012
This book had all the elements for a really fantastic psychological thriller but it fell waaaaaay short. Ms Brown set up the plot and characters well, but then it just sort of meandered along with no real "OH WOW" moment. There was no edge-of-your-seat climax and every time the story looked like it was going to provide that rug-pulled-out-from-under-you moment, it just tapered off and I was back to wondering why I was still reading the book. Towards the end,I found myself caring very little about the characters and whether they would get through their "traumatic experience".
March 24, 2014
A disturbing and confronting psychological thriller set in Victoria, Australia. Outwardly the perfect couple, Bruce and Trudy decide to stop at an isolated gallery on their way home from holidays. After being held captive and making a violent escape, the couple never fully recover from the trauma.
Occasionally I found Bruce & Trudy's decision-making a tad unbelievable (like covering-up a couple of murders/manslaughters and the fixation/attraction with Finn), but it certainly made for a captivating and gripping read!
My first Honey Brown novel and definitely not my last.
Occasionally I found Bruce & Trudy's decision-making a tad unbelievable (like covering-up a couple of murders/manslaughters and the fixation/attraction with Finn), but it certainly made for a captivating and gripping read!
My first Honey Brown novel and definitely not my last.
October 21, 2013
I'm a little torn by this book! I loved the storyline and how it explored how certain types of events can impact on a person, their relationships, their family etc., however I was disappointed in the ending. For me the ending was an anti climax after the fast paced storyline and I somehow felt robbed when I'd read the last few lines.
February 20, 2016
Honey Brown sure writes some interesting books. Some of her books are among my favourites. This one however, did not meet the mark for me. It was a little too predictable, and I felt no empathy for the main characters, in fact, I was a little annoyed with them!
Funnily enough, it still gets 3 stars from me because it was intriguing and well written.
Funnily enough, it still gets 3 stars from me because it was intriguing and well written.
June 27, 2019
After slowly losing love of reading through many classic but slow novels this story is fast paced and holds your attention. I lost track of time over and over. Honey Brown has a knack for recognising and describing the very real actions and thoughts in every day life and how those are heightened and change with fear. Human nature is explored in a thrilling story. And what a story!
July 2, 2012
Meh :( Didn't enjoy this at all...
June 16, 2012
Started as an interesting thriller but became a low grade soap opera. Am sorry to be harsh but couldn't recommend it.
September 9, 2015
This book kept me interested till the end a good little read!!!!!
September 6, 2012
A chilling story based around the slow and steady demise of a husband and wife's sense of reason
June 24, 2018
Trudy and Bruce Harrison have a happy marriage, a successful business, and three teenage children. One fateful day they take the winding coastal route home, and visit the Ocean View Gallery, perched on the cliff edge. It's not listed in any tourist pamphlet. The artist runs the gallery alone. There are no other visitors
Is a Gripping Psychological thriller written by Honey Brown a Australian Author
Is a Gripping Psychological thriller written by Honey Brown a Australian Author
August 8, 2021
I love a good psychological thriller but I just couldn’t really get into this one.
I found I didn’t really like the main characters nor did I care for them which I think is where I struggled to connect.
Summer, the youngest child, was the only one that intrigued me and she was only a minor character.
I found I didn’t really like the main characters nor did I care for them which I think is where I struggled to connect.
Summer, the youngest child, was the only one that intrigued me and she was only a minor character.
July 19, 2017
Plot and characters were set up well but the "thriller" element of the book was very disappointing. Didn't believe half of what happened and not sure how to feel about the ending...
February 27, 2013
The Adult thriller genre is interesting to dip into for a change every now and then, and this little book (291 pages, so not so little really) is a cracker. An Australian writer, too, to make it even more worthwhile.
After the Darkness tells a much less conventional and predictable tale than your normal thriller - its a taut psychological study of how a couple react to the attack on them.
After an initial panic attack and attempt to cover up their accidental murder of their attacker, partly because of Bruce's humiliation at having been raped (I'm not spoiling it, this has all happened by page 50) they try to report the incident to police, but the accomplice they suspected of being in the house has covered up all evidence of the crime and the police find nothing, so they have no option but to try to return to their normal lives, as parents of teenagers, as husband and wife. But nothing will ever be the same again.
The story of the aftermath of the attack rings so authentic that it is almost like having an evil puppeteer invading your own brain telling you more than you ever wanted to know about how all this feels - like Stephen King at his best, creepy and invasive. Trudy and Bruce's perspective on life is permanently twisted, they don't see anyone the same way that they did before, they dress differently, defensively, and see friendships either as a threat or as counterfeit and unobtainable. Their paranoia grows and I believed their fears completely - everybody new who comes into their lives could be connected with the event. In times of stress, Bruce finds himself instinctively replaying and reenacting the attack on him. Nobody can understand what has happened to this lovely happy couple.
Here' s an example of Honey Brown's amazing writing:p 205: we went to Tyler Street. Bruce drove. I heard and felt the car's noises an jolts as though from far away. My ears picked up strange new inflections and unusual tones n everything. My eyes were wide and dry. I was seeing the world through a different lens. The night air spoke to me. It pressed its chill through the windscreen an imprinted a cold tale against my face
I could go on with more, but it would take up too much space. This woman can write like the clappers. If you ever dip your toe into the odd thriller, I recommend this one.
After the Darkness tells a much less conventional and predictable tale than your normal thriller - its a taut psychological study of how a couple react to the attack on them.
After an initial panic attack and attempt to cover up their accidental murder of their attacker, partly because of Bruce's humiliation at having been raped (I'm not spoiling it, this has all happened by page 50) they try to report the incident to police, but the accomplice they suspected of being in the house has covered up all evidence of the crime and the police find nothing, so they have no option but to try to return to their normal lives, as parents of teenagers, as husband and wife. But nothing will ever be the same again.
The story of the aftermath of the attack rings so authentic that it is almost like having an evil puppeteer invading your own brain telling you more than you ever wanted to know about how all this feels - like Stephen King at his best, creepy and invasive. Trudy and Bruce's perspective on life is permanently twisted, they don't see anyone the same way that they did before, they dress differently, defensively, and see friendships either as a threat or as counterfeit and unobtainable. Their paranoia grows and I believed their fears completely - everybody new who comes into their lives could be connected with the event. In times of stress, Bruce finds himself instinctively replaying and reenacting the attack on him. Nobody can understand what has happened to this lovely happy couple.
Here' s an example of Honey Brown's amazing writing:p 205: we went to Tyler Street. Bruce drove. I heard and felt the car's noises an jolts as though from far away. My ears picked up strange new inflections and unusual tones n everything. My eyes were wide and dry. I was seeing the world through a different lens. The night air spoke to me. It pressed its chill through the windscreen an imprinted a cold tale against my face
I could go on with more, but it would take up too much space. This woman can write like the clappers. If you ever dip your toe into the odd thriller, I recommend this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews