My Life in Darkness eBook Harrison Drake
Download As PDF : My Life in Darkness eBook Harrison Drake 
"I felt it last time, when the darkness came. It's like it was trying to tell me something, trying to make me realize what was coming."
Each time a total eclipse causes the sun to disappear behind the moon, the darkness gives strength to one man.
His tragic life and secret love are told in a series of letters written as he travels the world, searching out the eclipses wherever and whenever they occur.
The letters question the mysteries of life, the universe, and the meaning of love and will bring a life lived in shadows into the light.
My Life in Darkness eBook Harrison Drake
I first read this novella back in October. I purchased it after reading Drake's other books. I've put off writing this review because I wanted to make sure I was fair to the author. I have revisited this review page a few times now and every time, deleted what I wrote and went back to think about it.So here's where I'm struggling; Drake is a really good author (I thoroughly enjoyed his other books) and he executed this story well for what he was doing. The only problem is that I'm not sure I like what he was doing. While it was interesting to see a young man's life develop in the shadow of the eclipses, there wasn't really much forward or back momentum. Really subtle conflict, if it can be considered that at all.
Would I recommend it? I'm not sure about that either. I will put it down to this, without intentionally stereotyping or (hopefully) offending anyone: If you are a fan of art house films, love abstract exhibits that mean different things to different people, and are considered somewhat alternative or "deep" by the people around you, you very much might love this collection of letters. If you are an adherent to the "laws" of fiction writing and don't care to have deeply cerebral contemplations during which you try to figure out what you just read (in other words, if you're just looking to be entertained), this probably isn't the choice for you.
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My Life in Darkness eBook Harrison Drake Reviews
Interesting way for the story to take place. Centered around the schedule of the next eclipse. I kept wondering if they would ever really meet.
I have been reading other stories by the same author and this one is nothing like those by any means. I was surprised at how different a direction this was.
did not care for it.
I have a funny relationship with independent films (that's right, films, not authors). While I can appreciate the artistry with which they are filmed and the subtleties of the plot points within art house movies, I find myself wanting more by the end of it all. Based on the title of this post, you're probably wondering, "why the heck is this fool waxing poetic about the merits and drawbacks of independent filmmaking?"
Well, my good friend and Canadian cop-turned indie author Harrison Drake asked me to read and review his novella, My Life in Darkness (which is free for and other devices on Smashwords). Upon reading the story, I had the same feeling I get from watching an independent film. It is clear that Drake is a talented writer who is dedicated to his craft. For me, though, this story reads more like a work of art than it does an all-night page turner.
My Life in Darkness consists of a series of letters written by an unnamed male (I say "male" because the letters start from when he's age 9 and continues through, roughly, age 100) to an alluring female who, for the first few letters, is referred to simply as "The Girl with the Golden Hair" until he learns her name.
The unnamed man is an intriguing fellow in that he was born in the middle of a full solar eclipse. As such, his parents have taken him around the world to (almost) every full solar eclipse as a sort of tradition. It just so happens that "The Girl with the Golden Hair" has also been dutifully brought to these eclipses. It becomes known to the reader that these group of people are known as umbrophiles (those who thrive in the shade) or "eclipse chasers."
The first few letters tell a story of juvenile love. The unnamed boy admires the girl from afar, though he can't quite muster the courage to profess his feelings for her. As the male ages, his letters to the girl continue as they both carry on their family's umbrophile traditions. He tells her (in the letters) how much he adores her and admires her happiness. In addition, the male goes through his own personal struggles (some of the familial variety) but finds the inspiration to live on from the girl's presence.
While slightly creepy (especially now that I've written that last paragraph), the letters keep you turning pages as you read to see how the boy's life develops and how his adoration for the girl will (hopefully, maybe) develop into requited, young love. So, you may ask, if I kept turning pages, where did this story go wrong?
It's not that the story "went wrong," per se. I strongly believe that this was the story Drake intended to tell and didn't waver from that quest, despite a temptation to deviate from the plan that I'm sure must have been festering in the back of his mind. In my mind, however, the story felt a unsatisfying. And, in a market where readers crave satisfaction and happy (or apropos) endings, Darkness ended with the subtlety of a salty ocean mist. That is to say that you would need to think long and hard about the connection of the story's ending to the story as a whole.
Subtle is good, sometimes. I think, though, that it felt especially empty in this case since, as the boy reached full adulthood, his letters to the girl started to become repetitive. There were a few brow-raising surprises, to be sure. But as a reader, I felt that the letters were an intriguing tease that built up to a disappointingly gentle climax. To its credit, I think that speaks to the journey to Darkness's ending, in a good way.
As an aside, I will add that the story's cover art (in addition to the quote included in the blurb), while stunning, gave me an inaccurate impression of the book's genre. Without reading much about the story before actually reading it, I was anticipating a sci-fi or fantasy sort of story.
What I can appreciate about My Life in Darkness was that the prose was well-written and, clearly, Drake put a lot of time and effort into this story. As each letter is written from the prime viewing locales for each eclipse dating back to 1988 and nearly into the next century, Drake did a masterful job of research and development for this story. The author also does a commendable job of capturing the machinations of a shy man saddled with a less than favorable relationship with his family and himself.
In summary, if you are searching for a heavy, thought-provoking and realistic view of life, pick up My Life in Darkness, just don't expect the theme of the book to smack you over the head with a frying pan.
That is not a bad thing. I enjoy the surprise when I read. I was just expecting sci fi type or fantasy type.
This book is a first person narrative via letters. It spans a lifetime purely dedicated in letters from a fellow to a blond girl he espied at an eclipse. The tale goes from one eclipse to another, well into the future (but not with spaceships and the like). We watch the fellow bare his heart and his mind, his family angst and his professional success all while he writes obsessively to a girl - then woman. We get full character fleshing of narrator via his story details and we get a pretty substantial fleshing of the woman from his tidbits as well.
This is a well told and fast paced read. It was well edited too.
Recommend this author and this title. I have already obtained another of his works to read.
Christine
I must say, I was going to skip right over reading this book. Then, I read the review written by PhiGuy25. It was absolutely intriguing! I'm glad that I read this review before I decided against reading "My Life in Darkness". I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The accuracy of the eclipse dates, the thought inducing plot, the unconditional love, it all was just wonderful.
From the first page to the last, I could not put this down. I read it in one sitting, unable to pull myself away. The depth of the main character instantly drew me in. Please continue writing! I look forward to reading your future works!
I first read this novella back in October. I purchased it after reading Drake's other books. I've put off writing this review because I wanted to make sure I was fair to the author. I have revisited this review page a few times now and every time, deleted what I wrote and went back to think about it.
So here's where I'm struggling; Drake is a really good author (I thoroughly enjoyed his other books) and he executed this story well for what he was doing. The only problem is that I'm not sure I like what he was doing. While it was interesting to see a young man's life develop in the shadow of the eclipses, there wasn't really much forward or back momentum. Really subtle conflict, if it can be considered that at all.
Would I recommend it? I'm not sure about that either. I will put it down to this, without intentionally stereotyping or (hopefully) offending anyone If you are a fan of art house films, love abstract exhibits that mean different things to different people, and are considered somewhat alternative or "deep" by the people around you, you very much might love this collection of letters. If you are an adherent to the "laws" of fiction writing and don't care to have deeply cerebral contemplations during which you try to figure out what you just read (in other words, if you're just looking to be entertained), this probably isn't the choice for you.
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