Almost Dark: A Novel

by Letitia Trent

An “intelligent, melancholy, and terrifying” ghost story set in a picture-perfect Vermont town (Paul G. Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World ). In 1993, teenage Claire and her twin brother, Sam, sneak out to Farmington’s old textile factory, where they’ve heard the high school kids go to party. When Sam falls into a basement window and injures himself, Claire runs for help, thinking she’s left Sam alone. But something horrible is inside the otherwise empty factory with him . . . Fifteen years later, Claire is working as Farmington’s librarian, secretly wrestling with her guilt after her brother’s death. She leads a quiet, lonely life—until Sam begins visiting her. Meanwhile, Justin, an ambitious business developer, has come to town to transform the abandoned factory into a new boutique retail location. But a painful, violent past lies behind the building’s walls that, for everyone’s sake, might be better left undisturbed . . . “A lyrical, haunting, and unsettling story . . . [crafted] out of the skeletons and whispers of a small town with a decidedly tragic past.” —Richard Thomas, author of Disintegration “Recalls the golden era of 1970s and 1980s horror fiction, but burnished with an entirely contemporary voice, crafted with a poet’s eye for detail and ear for language. Reminiscent of the early work of Rosemary Campbell and Charles L. Grant, simultaneously chilling and poignant, this novel and its inhabitants hauntedme long after I had uneasily put it down.” —Michael Rowe, author of Enter, Night

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Fiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2016

About the author

Letitia Trent's books include the novels Almost Dark and Echo Lake, the poetry collection One Perfect Bird, and the chapbooks The Women in Charge and You aren't in this movie. Her work has appeared in 32 poems, Fence, Black Warrior Review, Diode, Smokelong Quarterly, and Sou'Wester, among others. Trent's short story, Wilderness, was nominated for a Shirley Jackson award and included in Best Horror of the Year Volume 8, edited by Ellen Datlow. Trent is part of the horror podcast The Brood. She lives in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, with her husband, son, and three black cats.

Photo by K Michelle Johnson

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's the blurb I provided for the novel:

Letitia Trent does a masterful job of creating atmosphere heavy with a town's history of economic stratification and gender inequality, as well as the dread of the unknown. Almost Dark is intelligent, melancholy, and terrifying.

[Richard Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and tragic, with a lot of heart. Huge fan of Letitia Trent, which is why I published her book, Echo Lake, and selected her story, "Wilderness" for the Exigencies anthology—which I can now say has been accepted for Best Horror of the Year, edited by Ellen Datlow.

[Sarah Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book wrecked me a bit. It hit me right on the nose with its nostalgia and sense of place—of how we hold on to our ghosts and haunted homes, mistaking memories for nourishment.
And perhaps I shouldn’t have read it as I sort through boxes of my childhood, deciding what to keep and what to let go before a cross-country move. Away from home. Away from the walls that have recorded my best memories. If walls really do record memories. But of course I have to think so. I spent much of this book reading my own thoughts. I hold on to places the way Claire does. I dig my claws in and hold on with my back teeth.
I guess you could call it a coming-of-age story for those of us who still feel like we’re coming of age in our thirties. That’s all of us, right? Right?? We’ve all got ghosts holding us back, keeping us young forever in a way that mimics stability but is really just stagnant.
I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Letitia Trent, but this is by far my favorite. Until the next thing, maybe. She keeps getting better. But if you’re looking for a ghost story that twists you with anxiety, warms your heart, and freezes your stomach with a glaze of fear—this is the perfect read.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A germ of a good idea that doesn’t really go anywhere. Good writing, but a disappointing story. This is not really a sci-fi/horror novel, but more of a small town character study where the characters do not grow or develop. If you do read it, make sure you set your expectations accordingly.

[Pandaduh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because it’s about a librarian. And, the author is from Oklahoma. I am both. However, this book was not meant for me. I found myself skimming to the end and I’m glad I did. I don’t doubt this would appeal to someone else. But, the reasons it did not appeal to me was because it took over 100 pages to get to the main character’s “meet-cute.” I could feel that it was going to get there, but it. Just. Took. So. Long.

Also, there is a lack of horror or ghosts and more so only the thought of ghosts. It’s not at all scary or chilling or frightening (as the cover might have you believe). It is, however, sad and depressing and…atmospheric. Atmospheric in the sense that “Geez, I could have just looked a picture to have gotten this same effect and lack of context, so why is this in print form?”

Her twin brother dies. A divorce happens (the most interesting and well-handled part of the novel). The history of the town and the characters is what is supposed to be haunting. I found it boring and lacking and inconsistent when action did finally happen. In my opinion, it shouldn’t take a whole book to do what it did. And it didn’t really go anywhere — not anywhere I wanted to actually go, anyways.

I always thought ChiZine Publications produced weird fiction or horror. I was kind of disappointed with my first book from this publisher.

Read my review on my blog: https://blackandwhitepandaduh.wordpre...

[Kaitlynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone who has experienced more than their fair share of loss and grew up in a small town, I wanted to like this book. The first 2/3rds were actually pretty enjoyable and I loved the tragic flashbacks from different characters perspectives- but then it just sort of falls flat. I don't understand the climax at all and everything that comes after it is just a mess. The ratings are all super high though, so maybe I just don't 'get' the symbolism.

[M. Gaffney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of haunting nostalgia, this book transported me to a town rich with ghosts and secrets. Memorable characters and even more memorable atmosphere.

[Jeff McIntosh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I certainly would disagree that this novel was horror - aside from horrific events (two murders, arson, and an accidental death)....I found nothing horrific about this novel. The reason it took me so long to read this novel was I couldn't get involved with the characters......

The visitations Claire experienced of her brother were never really fully detailed, in my opinion. I didn't find any of the characters particularly appealing, but the main characters of Justin and Claire did have a happy ending, of sorts.

For me, a swing and a miss. Doubtful I'd re-visit Ms. Trent's other works.


Jeff Mc

[Lindsey Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes when authors write really lovely lyrical descriptive sentences it kicks me out of the story as I stop to marvel at their writing. This is part of why I can't seem to really enjoy Lauren Groff. Letitia manages to write these brilliant sentences while keeping you engaged in the plot (although I will admit their were a few times I stopped to reread particularly beautiful passages). Part of what I really liked is that the sentences felt beautiful even when describing ugly things.
Most of the horror in this novel comes from the idea of being trapped or falling in to a life that others expect of you but isn't what you want. Yes, it's a ghost story, but it's as much about the ghost of the past and what might have been as about the actual ghost. It was sort of like a Stephen King book, where the supernatural aspect is never quite as terrifying as the real-life elements, but they provide a food story and way to talk about the other things.
Reading horror usually reassures me in a weird way because it makes me realize I'm not the only one with dark thoughts. For example, I hate going to cemeteries because I can't stop thinking about the bodies decaying in graphic detail. There was a line in the book about that. There was also a description of someone wondering what it would feel like to burn alive and how gruesome that would be.

[Chris]

First of all, I didn't read this in one day.

Letitia Trent is a great writer. She is a skilled observer of human nature and culture and poetic translator of those observations. Her writing is visceral and chilling.
As much as I enjoyed the writing, I, as a reader from a small town, from southern Vermont where the story takes place, was tripped up by a few details. In the fictitious small Vermont town clearly modeled after a very real small town, the main character is a librarian. Another prominent character is an Assistant to the Town Manager. In small towns, Librarians and Assistants in town offices know everybody and everything about the people and history of the town, particularly, the central tragedy of the town. There are times when Claire and Miriam's ignorance or anonymity are too far fetched. But nevermind that, I'm glad I hung in until the end of this book because it finished well, like such a story set in a small town can.
It was nice to read a story about that Vermont town with its "college so expensive hardly any locals could actually attend it" written by someone who didn't graduate from Bennington.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book although it wasn't your regular ghost story. It is more about guilt and memory and loss that keeps people with us even when after they have died. It's not particularly frightening except for the realization that we are often glued to a place by the ghosts of our past. We simply cannot break free of that person or event that ties us to a place with no possibility of happiness or a future. It is this bondage that makes us lose our color, our substance and sometimes our lust for life. The guilt which gives the ghost its essence literally eats the victim alive. It's an interesting take on a haunted factory, a tragic accident and a twin left without her brother. It is well worth a read.

[Linda Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book, the author is able to bring you to the scene. It is creepy and absolutely riveting, I could hardly put the book down. A definite must read!

[SerialReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, haunting and unsettling.
Splendid.

Read more on The Serial Reader Blog.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

ALMOST DARK is, unfortunately, only ALMOST a ghost story. This is another of those books promoted as a ghost story which is really nothing of the sort. There are a few passages which suggest some supernatural events and presences, but these are never followed through and are far too ambiguous to satisfy the reader who believed he was purchasing a tale of a ghostly haunting. ALMOST DARK is, in fact, the story of Claire, a young woman whose brother was tragically killed in an abandoned factory when they were much younger and how she ultimately faces up to what she must do to recover from that traumatic experience and get on with life. There is effectively a co-protagonist in Justin, a developer whose company purchases the aforementioned factory and intends to re-open it as an upscale coffee house, and we spend nearly as much seeing the story play out from his perspective as we do Claire's. The novel's plot revolves around how Claire and Justin interact with the old factory, the small New England town in which it is set, and what the two main characters want from life. Whether or not you might enjoy ALMOST DARK depends on what kind of book you want to read. It's marketed as a horror novel, but it isn't, and it could only qualify as a ghost story if you use that moniker very, very broadly. It is, however, very well-written. Letitia Trent is a talented writer and if she ever writes a true ghost story, there's a good chance I'll check it out. But ALMOST DARK is one of a large number of books that are marketed as "horror novels" or "ghost stories" when they simply are not either. This is a book about a young woman coming to terms with her past, a young man figuring out his future, and the town in which their internal conflicts play out. As such, it's not so bad. But as a ghost story, it just doesn't deliver. I'm not sure it was really intended to.

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

In one of the critic's praises for this novel, the word 'Hiraeth' meaning a homesickness for a location which you cannot return, which maybe never existed sums of the theme of Almost Dark. The story isn't about a particular character (although a good amount follows Claire and Justin) as it is about the small town of Farmington where a business developer announces the renovation of the infamous abandoned textile factory where mysterious accidents have happened. The author does a great job creating the melancholy atmosphere of the town befitting the theme of being haunted by person ghosts of the past (as opposed to real ghosts). While this book had all the elements for me to love it, I felt underwhelmed. First of all, the author has some great prose, but wanting to immerse myself more with the characters, I felt a disconnect. And that was due to the style of the main character being the town, lending it to rely more on telling as opposed to showing in order to cover more ground of the history. Overall, while I liked the quiet horror and the atmosphere, I wanted a memorable protagonist, but instead got a poignant study of a small town undergoing grief and change.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this book feeling disappointed, as if there was something big missing. And then I thought "What happened in this book?" and the answer to that is very little. A bit of arson, a bit of stilted romance, and a whole lot of introspection. Yet it was captivating enough for me to keep reading. A strange book that is interesting, but I was glad to be finished with it.

[Johanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little book about people's complicated relationships with their hometowns and the hometowns of others. I think I would have liked it better if I hadn't constantly been expecting it to start getting scary. It is not scary but it is almost dark 😅

[Lace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Very creepy throughout even when nothing is happening. The people are all haunted by life.

[Hugo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A marvellous variation on the ghost story, quite beautifully written, and preferring to examine nostalgia and loss, shared and communal history, a sense of belonging and the urge to break away - all tropes of the haunted house story, but here applied to a whole town and with a concentration away from the supernatural.

[Janice perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

AMAZING! Loved the story. Great for October.

[Carrie Laben · Rating 4 out of 5]

The exterior of a small-town horror novel in the vein of vintage King combined with a beating heart of poetry. This novel excels at precise characterization and carefully observed nuances of social life in a former mill town facing the economic challenges of the 21st century. The plot is familiar and a bit fuzzy around the edges, but nearly every reader will find sentences that make you stop and savor the recognition of a thought you never would have put quite so precisely.

[David Bridges · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up near a large mill in South Carolina so I am aware of the ominous presence large factories can have on a town or neighborhood. Especially when they are closed, which by the 80's and 90's was most of the time. While this story is about a factory, it is more of a tale of incredible grief.

Claire loses her twin brother in a traumatizing fashion after he falls into the basement of a factory and dies. This scene in the book is brutally heart wrenching. Claire never really recovers from this and lives a pretty solitary life as an adult. Kevin, A savvy business developer, comes to town and decides he is going to encourage his company to remodel the factory where Claire's brother died into a trendy new coffee shop called Beans. Claire does not want this to happen nor do others in the town who have lost loved ones to the factory. They assume let sleeping dogs lie. Every time someone opens the factory something bad happens. When Claire's brother starts to haunt her again she realizes that she must do something to stop the opening of the newly remodeled factory.

The author described this as quiet horror, I would also suggest noir fans check this out as well because I felt like it has a lot of those qualities. This was my first Trent book and I definitely enjoyed it enough that I will be reading more of her work. You can never go wrong with Chizine Press either.

[Amy B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like a short story that had been expanded into a novel. It wasn't bad, but I didn't really feel connected to the book. I like my horror stories scary, and this was ....kind of haunting, but really more emotionally haunting than scary.