by Mel Sherrer
Yea. It’s dark alright. Dark as the shade that blankets the underbrush beneath Appalachian forests. Dark as creek water churning in a culvert. Dark as a family secret. There is no doubt that Andrew K. Clark has written a Southern Gothic Horror that calls the darkness into the room with its readers.
But— it’s also magical.
It’s also moving.
This book leaves a great first impression, with page-turning potential and a dangerous vibe, right from the start! The prologue made me say, “Well now I’ve got to know what the hell is going on here!”
Where Dark Things Grow has all the shadows: rampant poverty, toxic masculinity, fragile fatherhood, sweaty-jowled evangelists, pathways through the woods, grief that becomes haunting, and a setting that remains unchanged for a hundred years at a time. All of these elements work in sync to ratchet up the tension, and it keeps you wondering when the horror-show is going to go down.
If you have spent any time living in Appalachia, then you know these people and you know a friendly ghost from a haint. You know Leo. You know his dead brother Jacob, his lazy, mischievous brothers Hank and John. You know his mother, wrought with despair. You know Leo’s drunken father. That’s the true wonder at play in this story— the way Clark has managed to create such depth and familiarity within these fictional characters. The characterization in this story is an example of literary mastercraft.
My personal favorite character in this book is the badass heroine, Lilyfax. There is nothing more needed in a plot fraught with men’s mistakes, misgivings, provocation and emotional stoicism than a girl/woman with a fighting spirit. I won’t give too much away, but she is a character definitely worth reading in behind.
The mystical story-telling, layered characterization and vivid, corporeal imagery in no way takes away from the lyricism and poeticism with which this novel is written. Clark is a poet first, which makes for a sonically stimulating journey through the novel.
I read this book in three sittings, each page rolling by like a country-road mile. This is the kind of story you read and leave, haunted, or go and get a drink. Where Dark Things Grow has all the elements of a contemporary classic, and is an absolute must-read for horror fans!
Andrew K. Clark is a poet and novelist from Find out more about Andrew and order Where Dark Things Grow at andrewkclark.com
Mel Sherrer is a poet and performer from Las Vegas, Nevada. She received her B.F.A. from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, and her M.F.A. in Poetry from Converse University in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She currently teaches courses in Performance Literature and Poetry. Find her work and more information at www.MelSherrer.com.
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