Review: Fell of Dark by Patrick Downes

Fell of Dark by Patrick Downes
Publisher: Philomel Books
Release Date: May 12, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

A book that challenges the word "powerful" and obliterates it

Written in searing prose, this is the story of two boys: Erik, who performs miracles, and Thorn, who hears voices. The book chronicles their lives as their minds devolve into hallucinations, and shows the way their worlds intersect, culminating in a final stand-off.

This debut novel offer a raw, insightful look at the forces that compel us to act against our will. Even more so, it captivates and dares us to look away, knowing full well we can't.

My thoughts:
Fell of Dark is a book that I will never forget.  I will say right off the bat that it is not for everybody.  The chapters at first feel like a lot of mindless rambling, but if you read deeper into the story and let the words pull you in magic happens.

This is story is told from two point of views, Eriks' and Thorns'.  Their voices couldn't be more different, but they have something huge in common.  I am not sure what type of mental issue they both have, but they both seemed to share a common mental illness that completely broke my heart.

We get to hear from Erik first and his back story and if I read correctly was horrible.  We the reader get to see into his mind a little and we get to see certain scenes that he remembers only we don't get any explanation as to what really happened.  It's not hard though to figure out what he went through and again my heart completely broke for him.  He was such an interesting character that just knowing what might have happened in that garage made me want to help him.

Thorns' part in this was very chaotic and I wasn't sure exactly what was real and what wasn't. The author did an amazing job at showing what goes on in the mind of somebody who has a mental illness. I don't want to say what I think because A I could be completely wrong and B I think everyone will have a different opinion and I don't want to ruin it for others.  I just will say that from reading his point of view I really want to delve more into this type of mind.

I think some will find this book strange, but I really hope most will find it amazing like I did. I appreciated the way the author chose to tell this story and I had goosebumps by the end.  This isn't rambling, this is a story about struggles and how hard it is to live with certain things that you can't help.  At first it was a little hard to dive in, but it didn't take me long at all to see where the author wanted to take me. 

One other thing I have to mention is the writing.  This author is completely new to me so I wasn't sure what to expect, but his prose is one of the best I have read.  It is deep, beautiful, and haunting.  I am not sure if this story would have worked without his prose and writing style.  Erik and Thorn came alive with his words and it was beautiful even with the disaster that occurred. 

4.5 snowflakes