Review: The Dark Light of Day by T.M. Frazier
Book Trope
Fiction can reflect life in a myriad of ways. In the Dark Light of Day intense themes : molestation, addiction, and violence are explored through two characters whose choices fully reflect their experiences. I share these themes right off the bat not to turn off potential readers, in fact Frazier herself gives the reader all this information in the first few chapters. Instead I mention them in awe that these characters manage to move through their lives at all, much less find each other and fall in love.
As the story opens we find Abby experiencing one of the worst days of her life. She has just graduated and finds herself pulled from the assembly to be told her grandmother has died in a mysterious explosion. Her death not only leaves Abby an orphan but also makes her a ward of the state until she turns 18 in nine months. Its a destination Abby refuses to accept so she runs. Yet with twenty dollars in her pocket an no friends where can she go? She makes it to the local junkyard where she hides in her grandmothers old car.
Abby barely manages to sleep before she is interrupted by the sounds of an amorous couple. Deathly scared Abby tries to sneak out and is instead grabbed by a stranger, a cold gun shoved into the nape of her neck.
It is this moment when she meets Jake Dunn. Both of their lives change that night. Jake finds himself opening his life to Abby. He becomes her legal guardian and even gives her a job at his Dad’s shop. The attraction between the two is palpable and so are their wounds, some visible and others dragged to the surface by their mutual attraction.
As their relationship progresses outside forces tear them violently apart. And now the future seems dark for them both.
This book was a page turner and a boundary pusher. There is a reality to these characters and their experiences that can make the reader uncomfortable. Having a history of addition issues in my own family made Abby’s story especially resonating for me. Jake was a harder character. His actions are understandable yet often horrific. They are both broken and find in each other attraction, understanding and something else neither has rarely experienced: Love.
An intense read that will effect many readers and many different ways, yet all will find it intriguing. Frazier doesn't flinch at all in her description of the characters experiences, you feel their trauma and find it hard to turn away. An author I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from in the future.
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