Here in the Dark

by Meagan Lucas

Here in the Dark, the first collection from award-winning author Meagan Lucas, is a gritty genre blending wallop of short stories, set mostly in Southern Appalachia, that explore the female experience of lawlessness.

In the tradition of Dorothy Allison and Bonnie Jo Campbell, Lucas tackles, with unsettling honesty: poverty, addiction, motherhood, and social justice in an increasingly troubled cultural climate.

These are character-driven stories about crime, but less a who-done-it mystery and more a meditation on how the vulnerable navigate a world devoid of true justice.

Unflinching in its gaze, Here in the Dark is an ambitious collection from a bold and empathetic storyteller. Perceptive, intimate, and brave, these sixteen stories encompass shame and forgiveness, loss and redemption, oppression and revolution, and signal a new way of thinking about power and trauma.

In "Voluntary Action," a sheriff's deputy witnesses the overdose of a high school friend in her custody. In "Buttons," a little girl, bullied by the neighbor boy, gets her revenge with a needle and thread. In "Sitting Ducks," a hurricane bears down on mothers, daughters, and sisters in an un-evacuated women's prison. In "Asylum" an immigrant woman, suffering a terrible loss, sees ghosts in the hotel and houses that she cleans. In "Hell, or High Water" a young woman with Stockholm syndrome is abandoned by her kidnapper deep in the woods of Western North Carolina. And in "Here in the Dark," a newly clean addict is given the opportunity to start over with her son if only she'll snitch on her former lover and pimp, but discovers, of course, it's not that simple. Blending Lucas' musical prose with high-tension stakes, and resonant characters, Here in the Dark is a collection not to be missed.

Genres: Short Stories

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Meagan Lucas is the author of the award-winning novel, Songbirds and Stray Dogs (2019) and the forthcoming collection, Here in the Dark (Shotgun Honey, July 2023). Meagan’s short work can be found in places like Still: The Journal, Bull Magazine, Pithead Chapel, Dark Yonder and Rock and a Hard Place. Meagan is Pushcart, Best of the Net, Derringer, and Canadian Crime Writers’ Award of Excellence nominated; won the 2017 Scythe Prize for Fiction, and Songbirds and Stray Dogs won the 2020 Indie Book Award for Best First Novel and was North Carolina’s selection for the Library of Congress Center for the Book’s 2022 Route 1 Reads program. She teaches Creative Writing at Robert Morris University and in the Great Smokies Writing Program at UNC Asheville, and she is the Editor-in-Chief of Reckon Review. Born and raised on a small island in Northern Ontario, she now calls Western North Carolina home.

Reviews

[Sjgomzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was an easy five stars!
What a brilliant and heart shattering collection. Every single story was gripping and beautifully written. These are the kinds of stories that stick in your gut long after that last page is turned. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next, and if you haven’t already, go out immediately and purchase her debut - Songbirds & Stray Dogs, which was another gem of a book.

[C.W. Blackwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meagan Lucas’s contribution to the grit-lit Southern fiction scene is nothing short of a game changer. In the style of Dorothy Allison, Ron Rash, and David Joy, HERE IN THE DARK is a collection of hard-hitting, heartbreaking, and harrowing tales that illuminate some of the toughest issues facing modern Appalachia. The stories not only pack a wallop, but they have a strong depth of purpose, too. If you’re looking for gritty realism with strong female characters—and moral ambiguity like looking through the bottom of a whiskey glass—you need to stop what you’re doing and order this book pronto.

[Rob Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love dark fiction. Crave it. The kind that seeps into your mind and body just leaving your heart a little tainted with their pitch-black truth. Stories that change how you see people. How you see the world. It makes me appreciate the good things in life a little more. This whole collection is full of tales to alter your perception of the good, bad, and indifferent. Meagan Lucas’s stories have been called unflinching. These sixteen stories are all that and more. Each story is layered with evocative complexity. The feminine perspective of traversing a hostile world. It will be difficult to choose one story as your favorite. Will it be “The Monster Beneath”, “And Then the Forest Will Burn Down” or “Porch Light Salvation”? Who says you have to choose? Spend some time in the dark with Meagan’s wonderful collection.

[Brian Bowyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterful!

Lucas is a fantastic writer, and all her skills are on full display in this triumphant collection. I enjoyed all these stories, but my favorites were "Picking the Carcass," "Asylum," "The Monster Beneath," "Molasses in Winter," and "Frogs in a Pot." This is dazzling, exquisite, unforgettable fiction. Highly recommended!

[Coy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's so much life in these tales, such depth of feeling, that a reader can't escape unscathed. Lucas has a masterful grasp on the art of the short story, building reality with a single thought, a single sentence, building entire lives with a single paragraph, working efficiently without sacrificing beautiful prose.

The stories have thematic elements in common, but they're a diverse lot overall. Like life, some tales go the way you want and some do not. Regardless of the story, it's hope on a razor blade by the end of page one, teetering. Lucas pulls you along, and you're waiting to see whether hope falls on the side of triumph or topples into a shattered Hell.

"Glass Houses" stands out as a favorite, but I enjoyed every story in this collection!

[Philip Zozzaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Candace Nix sits in a chair and answers the questions put to her. She is a powderkeg of emotions as her actions are scrutinized by higher-ups in law enforcement. A distracted mind led to grave consequences and the weight of the world lay on Nix’s shoulders in “Voluntary Action”. Meagan Lucas’ first story sets the tone for a compilation of frequently poignant short stories contained in Here in the Dark. Nix’s descent into tortuous limbo segues to the dreary life of Janelle in “Picking the Carcass”. Janelle is the mother of two and straddles the line between poor and destitute. Her fortunes begin to change when she finds gold in a dead raccoon. However, her needs require a continuous stream of hidden treasure and gold doesn’t just randomly appear more than once, right? The reader will be transported to the lonely but unorthodox world of young Tillie in “Buttons”, a story that will leave the audience slightly unsettled. Two of the stand-out offerings in this sterling work are “You Know What They Say About Karma” and “Kittens”, where I struggle for the right words to qualify in describing something so heartrending.


Lucas (Songbirds and Stray Dogs, 2019) weaves a collection of sixteen stories that are impactful, regardless of length. Each entry is unique in their direction and theme, more than a few are gut-wrenching in their denouement. Lucas doesn’t lean on gore to sell the horror of humanity, just motive and actions. This collection of yarns will have the reader riveted from start to finish and anticipating more work from this fine author.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written stories that had me running through a range of emotions and some on the edge of my seat.

[Sara Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a bold, disturbing (in the best way), vivid collection. I love a collection where all the stories are stand alone and distinct but carry themes that you just can't shake.

[Colleen Alles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection blew me away! I found myself thinking about these stories all day (and the next day, and the next…).

[M.E. Proctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Here in the Dark" is Meagan Lucas’s new short story collection and it doesn’t pull punches. This is tough writing on tough subjects. The sixteen stories take place mostly in Southern Appalachia. Living conditions are hard, emotions are raw, lawlessness is rampant. But hope and resilience occasionally shine through, because there is no other choice and life finds a way. The writing is superb with deep empathy for the characters. You may not like all of them but they will stick with you. Highly recommended.

[Angela McVay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Smokes! I am totally blown away by this collection of short stories. This was an unexpected thrilling ride from the first to last page of every single story. I was literally on the edge of my seat. Definitely dark and twisty but wow I felt the reality for these women. That is a gift of a good writer when you feel the emotional grit of these female characters. Well done!

[Colin Brightwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legitimately a perfect short story collection. The stories fit together tonally without becoming repetitive.

What I admire most about the collection is how unflinchingly brutal and honest the stories are. Every one is a knockout. Read this.

[Ken Jaworowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy smokes, these stories are ALIVE, and full of my favorite kinds of characters: ones who are messy and complex, and vividly brought to life. 'Kittens' bruised my heart, and 'Porch Light Salvation' is eight pages of pure tension.

[J Elizabeth Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow.

[Andrew Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story collection will pull you in and fuck with your dreams. Full of joy rich, complicated characters who are struggling to with all the darkness the world offers them. Sometimes gothic, sometimes gritty realism, sometimes horror: a must read.

[John Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love dark stories, so I loved this book. I've shared my thoughts on my webpage, which includes a 10-word summary and 6-word review (no spoilers) of each of the 16 short stories in the collection. https://nematome.org/2023-books-read/...

[Bethellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Super short stories packed with so much power and amazing strong women! Meagan has a powerful gift to build worlds in just a few pages.

[Tom Funk · Rating 5 out of 5]

At times this book made me flinch, the violence so graphic. At times it made me blush, the language so gutter. Other times it left me sad, the stories so hopeless. Other times it left me mad, the lawlessness too real, too close to home. Sometimes it was hard to read, too honest, too familiar, too much like those courtroom dramas I heard for so long. Meagan Lucas gets it. Somehow she knows what its like to live in a world where you're on the margins, where you're always expendable, where nothing is guaranteed.
These are stories of Southern women, mostly poor, mostly uneducated. Few have a network supporting them, mostly they are on their own and down and out. The stories are dark, gritty and often heartbreaking. But what keeps you turning the pages is your wonder about how they will survive. What will they do to keep themselves sane and their children out of harm's way? No knights in shining armor appear to rescue. No knights seem to exist. Men, when they show up, more likely are the cause of the problem, not the solution. It's just the solitary woman facing down the world with her wits and her grit. And despite the flinching and the blushes, the sadness and the gut punches when they don't overcome, its a great read.

[Jon Sokol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dirty realism with the occasional sprinkle of the supernatural. These stories punch hard and often end with haymakers. A must read for grit lit fans.

[Darrell Grizzle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meagan Lucas is one of the very best authors in the "grit lit" and rural noir genres. It took me a lot longer than intended for me to read this collection because every story is a gutpunch that I needed time to recover from. Each story is marked by a gritty realism (even the stories that have a supernatural element) as well as a writing style that is lyrical and poetic, as befits a Southern author. Highly recommended. I look forward to reading more from Meagan Lucas!

[Hannah Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s somewhat impossible to describe Here in the Dark in a simple sentence or two. On the surface, the stories are dark and upsetting, laying bare the full spectrum of human hopelessness, the failures of communities to protect their own, and the vicious cycles of dysfunction. And yet, Lucas’ writing is masterfully tender and sensitive. Even amidst the most gut-wrenching circumstances, the characters of these stories show grit and determination. These stories give dignity to the ordinary, everyday people who are often overlooked by broader society. Lucas fleshes out these characters with vivid detail and a powerful emotional punch.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely gorgeous, stellar collection. Meagan Lucas has a beautifully distinctive, strong and compelling authorial voice. Her brushstroke building of worlds, of lore, of fear and feeling, are nothing short of masterful. This collection is brutal and empowering, it's devastating and invigorating. So much to love here, and so much variation. Masterful tension building (BUTTONS), dread (HELL, OR HIGH WATER, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT KARMA, PORCH LIGHT SALVATION, SITTING DUCKS) and a keen eye for humanity's foibles (MOLASSES IN WINTER, GLASS HOUSES). It's impossible to choose favorites as each story left me breathless, staring past the page as I processed the journey Lucas took me on.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few collections have the range and blood-and-bone feeling of Here in the Dark. For all the corporeal grit and grime, there's also fragile hope and ethereal beauty, even in the darkest corners of these stories. Tough yet humane, lost but searching, each and every story sticks with you.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story collection!

Crime stories, mostly feminist rural noir, though occasionally it seeps over into horror and litfic. The connecting factor is the desperation of her characters, who are all believable and relateable. Bleak and dark, which I love.

My favorite stories were "Buttons" and "Picking the Carcass." Other standouts were "You Know What They Say About Karma," "The Monster Beneath," "The Only Comfort," and the title story, a harrowing prequel to her first novel, which I'm looking forward to reading. Really, though, the whole thing is well worth your time.

Highly recommended!

[Carol Ann Tack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and perfect and perfectly dark stories about women doing everything they need to survive in a world that stacks the deck against them time and time again. Each story is a lightning bolt.

[P.M. Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutal yet beautiful prose fills the pages of HERE IN THE DARK. Each story has a layered meaning, a tangible theme, a specific heartbreak that could easily leave a reader speechless. There were a few selections which left me absolutely stunned by the end. Not because of the ending but because the journey was so startling. Stand outs in this regard include “You Know What They Say About Karma”, “Kittens”, “Hell or High Water”, and namely, “Buttons” (which I did a separate review exclusively on this story).

Meagan Lucas has a way of using words to get under your skin and in your head. Each of these stories contains a hardship or a hard fought knowledge that transforms the character and by extension, the reader.

The stories are set mostly in Southern Appalachia and dig deep into poverty, addiction, motherhood, and social justice. The writing is unflinching, uncompromising, and incredibly haunting. HERE IN THE DARK is one of my favorite collections that I’ve ever read because every story is so well done. Collections can be tricky with quality but HERE IN THE DARK is solid throughout and its consistent quality reminds me of Richard Dansky’s MEETING IN THE DEVIL’S HOUSE and Paula D. Ashe’s WE ARE HERE TO HURT EACH OTHER. These are collections by authors at the top of their games and HERE IN THE DARK joins that list for me.

[Ginger Pinholster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grit Lit at its Finest - Riveting Southern Noir
I couldn’t help rooting for this author’s tough female characters, even when they were stealing gold nuggets in the strangest possible way or poking someone’s eye out with a stick. The characters created by Meagan Lucas are survivors who are navigating poverty, drug addiction, motherhood, and social ills in southern Appalachia. Despite their often dire circumstances, however, the characters in this gripping collection of short stories are unapologetically practical, unsentimental, lusty, and often funny. Lucas has developed a fresh, unique voice and her stories are remarkably inventive. Closing this riveting Southern noir before reading the final page was not an option for me. “Here in the Dark” solidifies the author’s well deserved reputation as a writer to watch — and read. Highly recommend.

[Becca Saul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meagan Lucas's "Here in the Dark", is a wild journey into the genre bending conventions of Southern noire fiction, broken into heart stopping, bite sized short stories that will leave you breathless. There is a startling quality to her words, words that weave a rich subtext in the interactions between her settings and a troupe of memorable souls that leads you to turn page after page. There is no putting this story collection down, and no going back to the same old same old as her characters literally jump off the page in vivid detail. There is no doubt that Ms. Lucas is a master at weaving both the tension of the genre and the art of story telling into a spellbinding, mind bending ride. I am an instant fan and will be reading other Meagan Lucas works, anxiously awaiting others as they arrive at my door!

[Dawnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories about women in Southern Appalachia. It covers a great deal of topics such as poverty, addiction, motherhood and social justice. This isn't a fluffy sugar coated collection. This is a gritty, raw, honest and truly heartbreaking collection that bleeds off the pages, and you will feel the bite from it. Lucas has a unique and original way of looking at the world around her and capturing what the eye doesn't want to see showing you a realism that is a bitter pill to swallow. This pungent and poetic collection of stories of women will linger in your heart long after. This is gritty southern fiction at its finest. Masterful. A collection everyone should read.

Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY

[Paul Crenshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to love reading New Stories From the South every year, and these stories remind me of that anthology. Poor people, downtrodden people, people struggling to get by. In most cases, the good life has already passed them by, and they know it. These stories are of desperate people doing desperate things--it captures covert America, the hidden, the clandestine. Same vein as Crhis Offutt, George Singleton. Highly Recommended.