ARA Review by jvmyka of This Side of the Darkness
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jvmyka
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ARA Review by jvmyka of This Side of the Darkness
[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, This Side of the Darkness.]
4.5 out of 5
“This Side of the Darkness” by Andromeda Storm is an autobiographical work written in a raw, dark style that grips the conscience and tugs at the heart. This is the story of a girl navigating her dark memories and battling the monsters of her past while desperately trying to relish the scattered morsels of good. She transcends the tangled innocence of the little Annie she once was and reconstructs herself as “Storm.”
Storm tries desperately to cling on to the angelic image of her mother. However, it would eventually become clear that her mother was far from saintly. She grew up in a very dysfunctional family with an occasional father, and her little, autistic brother Orion. Often, she had to look after Orion. Sometimes with no diapers to change him with.
Storm’s home life was mired with what could only be described as inhumane torture. This is a gripping, first hand story that vividly describes scenes in a life whose details are difficult to fathom at times. Perhaps it is in those dramatic details one may come to appreciate to comforts and conveniences we have in our own lives when we realize how devoid we truly are of having monsters encroaching on the most basic necessities in our lives. Storm navigates through the various stages of her life, detailing gross ordeals. For example, having no food to feed her baby brother and the boy resorting to eating roaches on the floor out of sheer hunger. She also meticulously recounts how going to the bathroom was sometimes a rich luxury and resorted to urinating on the carpet often, making her bedroom a “stench-filled sauna."
The author’s writing style fluctuates in tone and style, which may be symbolic of the phases of her life. The traumas experienced, the jagged uncertainty of stability and safety, the cruelty of perversions and misdeeds, the steadiness of determination and resolve, and the vigorous pursuit of balance. She is constantly on the move in her thoughts, in her physicality, and in her discoveries. From bright moments, like those involving trips to the library with Rose and Mrs. Fawn, to the gut wrenching dilemma of being a girl in the sixth grade and wanting to lose her virginity to anyone but her mother’s obnoxious boyfriend, Rob.
Storm’s manner of expression is heartfelt and genuine. This book feels like a personal journal at times, recounting specific moments in her life. Moments that impacted her deeply, but readers can sympathize with these selected occasions. In many ways, they demonstrate her courage and boldness. Her voice pierces through the pages, with less damnation and more clarity of her position. Her power is evident in her words and she seems to have won this internal struggle with the past.
***
View This Side of the Darkness on Bookshelves
4.5 out of 5
“This Side of the Darkness” by Andromeda Storm is an autobiographical work written in a raw, dark style that grips the conscience and tugs at the heart. This is the story of a girl navigating her dark memories and battling the monsters of her past while desperately trying to relish the scattered morsels of good. She transcends the tangled innocence of the little Annie she once was and reconstructs herself as “Storm.”
Storm tries desperately to cling on to the angelic image of her mother. However, it would eventually become clear that her mother was far from saintly. She grew up in a very dysfunctional family with an occasional father, and her little, autistic brother Orion. Often, she had to look after Orion. Sometimes with no diapers to change him with.
Storm’s home life was mired with what could only be described as inhumane torture. This is a gripping, first hand story that vividly describes scenes in a life whose details are difficult to fathom at times. Perhaps it is in those dramatic details one may come to appreciate to comforts and conveniences we have in our own lives when we realize how devoid we truly are of having monsters encroaching on the most basic necessities in our lives. Storm navigates through the various stages of her life, detailing gross ordeals. For example, having no food to feed her baby brother and the boy resorting to eating roaches on the floor out of sheer hunger. She also meticulously recounts how going to the bathroom was sometimes a rich luxury and resorted to urinating on the carpet often, making her bedroom a “stench-filled sauna."
The author’s writing style fluctuates in tone and style, which may be symbolic of the phases of her life. The traumas experienced, the jagged uncertainty of stability and safety, the cruelty of perversions and misdeeds, the steadiness of determination and resolve, and the vigorous pursuit of balance. She is constantly on the move in her thoughts, in her physicality, and in her discoveries. From bright moments, like those involving trips to the library with Rose and Mrs. Fawn, to the gut wrenching dilemma of being a girl in the sixth grade and wanting to lose her virginity to anyone but her mother’s obnoxious boyfriend, Rob.
Storm’s manner of expression is heartfelt and genuine. This book feels like a personal journal at times, recounting specific moments in her life. Moments that impacted her deeply, but readers can sympathize with these selected occasions. In many ways, they demonstrate her courage and boldness. Her voice pierces through the pages, with less damnation and more clarity of her position. Her power is evident in her words and she seems to have won this internal struggle with the past.
***
View This Side of the Darkness on Bookshelves
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Andromeda Flynn
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Thank you kindly for your thoughtful review. I hope eventually to edit my novel to make it worth 5 stars instead of 4. I understand it's far from perfect and during many moments my use of language may feel distorted because I felt detached at several points and it was a difficult write that I have been wanting to publish for at least 2 decades now. Thank you for taking the time to read my novel and for understanding my mindset throughout.
