When Darkness Falls

by Paul Zindel

The lives of three people--Marjorie Krenner, a Beverly Hills matron afflicted with a nameless anxiety; Jack Krenner, a husband beleaguered by the pressures of Beverly Hills bills; and Detective Lichteiman, on the trail of a random murderer--become ineluctably intertwined

Genres: Horror, Thriller

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Paul Zindel was an American author, playwright and educator.

In 1964, he wrote The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, his first and most successful play. The play ran off-Broadway in 1970, and on Broadway in 1971. It won the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was also made into a 1972 movie by 20th Century Fox. Charlotte Zolotow, then a vice-president at Harper & Row (now Harper-Collins) contacted him to writing for her book label. Zindel wrote 39 books, all of them aimed at children or young adults. Many of these were set in his home town of Staten Island, New York. They tended to be semi-autobiographical, focusing on teenage misfits with abusive or neglectful parents. Despite the often dark subject matter of his books, which deal with loneliness, loss, and the effects of abuse, they are also filled with humor. Many of his novels have wacky titles, such as My Darling, My Hamburger, or Confessions of A Teenage Baboon.

The Pigman, first published in 1968, is widely taught in American schools, and also made it on to the list of most frequently banned books in America in the 1990s, because of what some deem offensive language.

Reviews

[Addy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book 3 stars because it kept me interested. However, this book really deserved 2 stars. Didn’t like it at all. It had some really bizarre moments but that was it. How a man can write Pig Man and then write this is beyond me.

[Eos BookCar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un thriller fuori catalogo da tanti anni, che mi è sembrato che gli mancasse qualcosa, alcuni personaggi sono appena abbozzati e non vengono delineati, molte cose non vengono spiegate, la madre mi è sembrata molto ignorante e insicura, pensava che l'urina fosse un veleno? Il marito serial killer di notte e cocainomane di giorno, adora il figlio maschio, ma non nutre lo stesso amore per la figlia, l'origine della sua pazzia? Non viene chiarita, pensavo meglio....

[Lupurk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro strano. Si sente molto "l'età", un po' nello stile, un po' nell'ambientazione. Mi sono sentita a metà fra una puntata di Beverly Hills 90210 e una di Criminal Minds. Quello che mi ha colpito maggiormente, anche alla luce della società presente, è il discorso sulle donne, sul femminismo e la lotta per la parità dei sessi sempre più sentita da una parte, e lo sviluppo della cultura del femminicidio e della violenza sulle donne in quanto tali dall'altra. Questo forse è stato lo spunto di riflessione che ha alzato leggermente il voto per un libro che, altrimenti, sarebbe stato solo mediocre; un thriller con un paio di scene spinte e un paio di scene un po' più forti.

[David Veith · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.0) Not a terrible read, but not that good either. Very choppy writing, could have been more detailed with some things and less with others (literally a page and a half of what was playing on the radio!). Seemed like the author was name dropping (lot of old celb. listed, for no real reason, many times). Seems kind of rushed I guess.

[Stacy Croushorn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth the time.

[Melora · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a really strange novel. I seem to remember, eons ago, liking his books for kids/young adults. However, this one seemed forced, as if he were out of his comfort level with the subject matter. As always, he does a good job of writing about family dysfunction and the complicated relationships within the family. However, some of the darker subject material, and some of the darker characters, seemed intended only to shock the audience. And some of the ideas about the main characters' psychology were pretty obviously dated, since this book was written in the 80s. It wasn't a very satisfying novel to read, especially the end of it.

[Morwen Rowen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una storia confusionaria e noiosa. I protagonisti sembrano delle macchiette slegate tra di loro, e diversi passaggi sono quasi incomprensibili. Non so se questo sia dovuto a una brutta traduzione o all'autore il quale, per quanto ne so, ha scritto decine di romanzi.
Mi dispiace dare due stelle, ma il libro è terribile.

[Cinthya Brenes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a weird book, it was unsettling, good but a strange book

[Bob Box · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read in 1986. Doesn't ring a bell.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this novel so long ago. It shocked me at the time because I was used to the Paul Zindel who wrote "My Darling, My Hamburger" and "Pardon Me, You're Stepping on My Eyeball." It probably won't prove to be as unsettling to me now that I've read books with so much more shock value.

Wouldn't recommend it to any kids, but it's a very interesting read.