Dark by Paul Secada

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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dark" by Paul Secada.]

Dark, by Paul Secada, is a short story told from the perspective of a successful author, Samuel Dean. The story is Dean’s autobiography, in which he gives us a glimpse into his mind as he reflects upon the struggles and challenges he is faced with throughout his life.

The book begins with a cleverly written prologue, in which Dean gives the reader a warning about what they are about to witness; it is a sad, morbid story that the reader might not be able get through. With this in mind, I prepared myself for such a story, and dared to read on. Although the prologue creates a great way to grip the reader right from the start, the problem is that it sets up an expectation for what is to follow. In this case, what follows is a very interesting story, but it didn’t quite reach the level of severity that Secada prepared me for.

That is not to say that the book is not a good one. In my opinion, Dark is a very unique, well-written novel with unexpected twists and turns that will certainly leave the reader with plenty to think about. The writing of each chapter is very poetic, and really feels like the thoughts that consume Dean as he reflects on his life experiences. Secada did a superb job of developing his protagonist; he is a fully fleshed out character who is interesting and likeable enough to make it impossible for the reader to put down the book, despite his obvious faults and weaknesses. Along those same lines, it would be extremely difficult to write from the perspective of a man at the lowest point in his life, struggling with relationships and succumbing to his cocaine addiction; Secada did this very well.

There was one particular event in the storyline that left me skeptical, not entirely believing that it was a feasible situation for Dean to be in. After completing the book I did some research on my own, in hopes of removing this skepticism. It seemed that the idea wasn’t completely inaccurate, but definitely impossible in the way in which it occurred. While I do believe that it is the author’s right to create the world of the story however they choose to do so, I do find that in this case, in telling a story that is meant to be believable as nonfiction, it is important to keep the facts straight.

I would recommend this book to adult readers who are looking for a quick read, and are interested in diving into the dark mind of a struggling author. For its unique storyline, beautiful writing style and challenging content, I give a Dark a 3 out of 4 stars.

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