Deadlight

by Lasher Lane

Set in 1968, the story’s haunted narrator wonders if the 200-foot cliffs that serve as a backdrop for his tiny, waterfront town, depriving it of sunlight each day and seemingly holding its inhabitants under a spell of alcohol addiction and apathy, might also be to blame for his friend’s daring and final bet.

174 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 3, 2013

About the author

Published in Volume 1 Brooklyn's Sunday Stories, Hippocampus, The Zodiac Review, Down in the Dirt and Foliate Oak.

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Reviews

[S.R. Mallery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once in a while a book comes along that, in its own quiet way, is not only beautifully written, it is also thought-provoking, historically informative, and touches your heart. That book is most certainly Lasher Lane’s Deadlight. More than a simple coming-of-age story set in 1968, the author, using a vivid, almost poetic style, begins with the troubled main character, Henry. From there comes a fascinating, historical account of the Pleasant Valley area nestled along the New Jersey Hudson River shoreline as well as the unfair reputation it has always received from disdainful Manhattanites. We are also privy to Henry’s family and friends––Will, his forever childlike brother; Fritz, the faithful, wood-eating dog; Jane, Steven (sent to Vietnam), dear friends; Carl, the cool guy who represents the best (and the worst) of those turbulent times; Ike, a gasoline-loving old coot; an eerie, gold tooth-filled, fortune-telling gypsy, and last but not least, John, whose immature, dangerous actions haunts Henry for most of the story. This is a Must Read!

[P.J. Cadavori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found an instant affinity with this book. I was living in rural Indiana in 1968 and found in Deadlight a deep recollection of the Vietnam war, the drug culture of the 60s and the coming of age of America.
But yet this book is so much more. It deals, in quiet sympathy with the hopeless yearnings of those stranded in out-of-the-way places; of the building and subsequent sudden loss of friendships and family; and the inability of established religion to give support and strength to essentially lonely lives and describes the man-made pillars like alcohol which provide a replacement. It also deals with great sensitivity with the unexplained influences and omens which we all meet in our lives and the sadness which comes from ignoring them.
Lasher Lane writes with a thoughtful elegance which it is impossible to get tired of. This is a really good book which needs a thorough second reading so that every paragraph can be contemplated and enjoyed.

[Kyle Janison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though told as a coming-of-age story, the metaphor of disappearance and its ghostly shapes runs deep in "Deadlight." Set in the shadow of a towering western cliff that leaves the tiny village of Edgewater in darkness for three additional hours each day, the novel tells the story of a young man who keeps encountering the ghost of a classmate that died after jumping from a bridge on a dare. And as with the main character's deceased classmate, all of his friends metaphorically are disappearing, too, as they head off in their own directions - to college in the big city, to the hippie scene in California, to the war in Vietnam, and even to the Hudson Rivers' fatal waters. "Deadlight" is great literary read and deftly handled.

[Rob Bignell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great coming of age story for the late 196os that still resonates today. Many of the same issues that teens and communities deal with in the 2010s are seen through the "historical" lens of the town and era presented in this fine novel.

[Emily Rooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend as it dealt with the protagonist traveling from her dreary New Jersey town to Los Angeles during the 1960s. I made a similar journey from the Midwest to Los Angeles in the 2010s. The author didn't disappoint, as she caught the excitement, challenges and dangers of such a move. Some younger readers may find the Vietnam War trope dated, but it makes sense in the story and really is just symbolic of the actual reason the protagonist and so many others head West: A vision for something better.

[Greg F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lasher Lane’s debut novel, “Deadlight” scored big points with me. First, there’s the eerie setting of a seaside town that thanks to high cliffs actually receives two to three hours less sunlight per day. Then there’s the intriguing cast of characters, ranging from the narrator who’s discovering what being an adult means to the mentally challenged brother he watches out for to the Beta Chi-guy turned hippie to the neighbor widow who worships John F. Kennedy. Finally, there’s the plot, the teens hiding their involvement in a classmate’s death, a daredevil bridge jump gone wrong. When you finish reading the novel, you’ll wish the author would hurry up and write a sequel.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written as a fictional memoir. I was quite taken with the plot line and descriptions from page one. Lane has a solid grasp of the material and a unique voice. The POV is that of a teenage boy living in Pleasant Valley (Edgewater, NJ) during the turbulent times of the 1960's. The author interweaves history, legends and coming of age angst around a ghost story. This book has it all. I would recommend it to anyone interested in protagonists who are watched by someone who had just made a plunge into the Hudson River from the George Washington Bridge. I'm still shivering.