Walk the Dark
by Paul Cody
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Pub Date May 28 2024 | Archive Date Jun 10 2024
Mindbuck Media | Regal House Publishing
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Description
Advance Praise
"Paul Cody’s Walk the Dark is creepily beautiful, full of stillness and darkness. Cody takes us into places we don’t know and shows us strange states of mind that feel absolutely true. It’s both soothing and terrifying being in Oliver’s mind, because he sees such beauty but also feels forever separated from it. For decades now I’ve seen Paul Cody’s work as the ultimate cross between horror and literary fiction, taking us deeper into the weird American night than anyone in either camp. Walk the Dark is a continuation of that same world we know from Cody’s The Stolen Child and So Far Gone, both of which are great, terrifying novels." — Stewart O’Nan, author of Last Night at the Lobster, Emily, Alone; and Wish You Were Here
"Walk the Dark is harrowing and vivid, taut as a wire. Paul Cody intertwines terror and hope; he knows how to hook his readers from the start — and on every page. Keep the lights burning when you open this spell-binding book." — Julie Schumacher, author of Dear Committee Members
"This book marks the return of a formidable novelist, whose big heart and golden ear have given us a powerful tale of corrupted lives, tragic happenstance, and, ultimately, the stirrings of hope. Part gritty bildungsroman, part prison picaresque, Walk the Dark delivers brutality, bleakness, and dark humor with disarming tenderness and grace." — J. Robert Lennon, author of Hard Girls, Mailman and The Funnies
"In this exquisitely tender novel, Ollie Curtin is a felon justly convicted, yet a man so otherworldly he’s almost a holy innocent. If, as one critic remarked, Don Delillo’s characters don’t seem to live their lives so much as rent them, Paul Cody’s characters can’t even manage that: long ago evicted for nonpayment, they stand in the arctic night, gazing in through a bright window at the human comedy, their hearts filled—heartbreakingly—not with resentment, but wonder." — Brian Hall, author of The Saskiad; Fall of Frost; The Stone Loves the World
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781646034482 |
| PRICE | $18.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 256 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1325955
This was such an interesting dive into the world of a prisoner and the reasons he ended up in this situation. The difficult childhood, repeating patterns of trauma and drug use play such a huge part in how Oliver ends up here. Breaking a cycle is never easy and first you’d need to notice that there is a harmful cycle that’s repeating and decide to fix it.
I like how the narration goes back and forth with describing the current time in prison and looking back on his life. I also really liked how we built up to finding out why exactly he was imprisoned. Oliver’s inability to pinpoint the exact ages and time in his life things happen feels relatable from a trauma standpoint. Everything kind of mushes together into just scenes that happen, but you’re not sure what order they happened in or how old you were.
I loved coming to the part that opened up the meaning of the book’s name. It plays a big part in Oliver’s life.
Oliver describes the women in his life beautifully and nicely, even when they’re not necessarily being very nice and lovely. I like how his mother has multiple nicknames she’s always used, it feels like a way to disconnect yourself from your past self and life. It also seems that Oliver is at least somewhat repeating this behavior for himself too.
The book brings up the realities of being imprisoned for decades and the issues you might face if you get released. The world is changing so quickly and technology is sometimes hard to keep up with even if you’re using it every day. Who’s going to help when you’re thrust into a world of smart phones, social media and streaming services?
There is a lot of heavy themes and issues being aressed in this, so I recommend going in if you're feeling ready to face some difficult realities.
Reviewer 1261820
3.5 This was a pretty interesting read. The sense of isolation was really well captured. I felt uncomfortable in places, which is a testament to the writing.
Natalie O, Bookseller
Captivating prose style, I particularly enjoyed the repetitions and the vagaries of time frames as a character/internal voice element. Slightly underwhelming ending? But this works as an intentional underwhelm to further illustrate the small life of the protagonist.
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