Robin Goodfellow's Blog, page 37
January 16, 2018
Book Review for A Light in the Darkness by Patricia Bell
A Light in the Darkness, by Patricia Bell, is a dark story about finding comfort in tragedy, and that even the tiniest of lights will shimmer in a gruesome nightmare.
Seven-year old Alexis disappears one night after getting into a fight with her friend. Sheriff Erika Granger decides to investigate Alexis’s disappearance, but soon realizes that Alexis’s disappearance is more complex than it seems. Shawn Johnson is a part of a successful hotel chain. However, he is also plagued by the disgusting temptations that threaten to drown him. As the search to find Alexis continues, these characters will cruelly massacre what little innocence they have left, and learn that though faith can bring life, it can also bring death.
Alexis is a brave girl, and probably has absolutely no idea how strong she is. Despite her deteriorating relationship with Sierra and the other kids at school, Alexis still managed to pull through. She also never gave up in God. She relied on Him to be strong, and to cling to her will to survive. Shawn, on the other hand, is a completely different matter. Rather than follow the “good” voice, he decided to take Alexis, leave her to die, and finally assault her. It’s true that he had been struggling with his demented addiction for a while, but no matter how much I hoped, he succumbed to his eons in the end. It was hard for me to believe this, but as time passed, my sympathy for him slowly faded.
One theme Bell beautifully executes in the book was to never give in, and to never lose hope. Alexis kept herself alive by ensuring that she conserved both her food, and her water, all the while thinking of ways she could escape. Jake never lost faith that his sister was alive, and even Sierra and the other kids at school prayed for her safe return. It was like I was watching a small, shimmering candle light the way for others; her family, her “friends”, and even Shawn himself. It’s clear that little, fragile Alexis had touched so many, and didn’t even know it.
There was a particularly haunting allusion to a disturbing case many years ago. When Erika had uncovered the fact that Shawn did serve as a bus driver to the many victims who vanished, I was reminded of Ariel Castro, a man who was charged with the kidnapping and rape of three girls. In order to get close to these girls, Castro became a school bus driver, gaining the girls’ trust and memorizing their routes. It made Shawn’s downfall even more horrifying, considering that he did murdered his victims. But I guess Shawn was gentler compared to Castro, since he didn’t prolong the torture.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The fact that little Alexis served as a beacon of hope for her family and friends was wonderful. Although there was a bit of a problem with the formatting, the narrative still managed to overtake me. As such, I would give this book a rating of a 4.1 out of 5 stars, and would recommend this book to those who love Jessie’s Song by Jeremy Williamson, and Criss Cross, by C.C. Warrens.
May 28, 2017
Wishing Well
upon the depths of the harvest;
I see scarlet draped over starlight,
constellations shimmering across
oceans of darkness.
Where are you?
Screams and mourns, sculpted by
painless waves from which shadows
enveloped fragile silhouettes.
Heaven and hell twist upon
streams of shattered beauty.
Where are you?
Seeing loved ones loving for
past centuries, as though they were
a new innovation to corruption.
It scorches the remainders
of that madness, burning the remnants
of a kiss that was lost amongst the
fray, their prayers long distorted.
Where are you?
Buildings have long eroded away,
leaving former glory from the mercy
of the callous earth. Hairless apes
stripped of their pride, as they lay upon
the absence of blood, ready to be
beaten and abused and scarred once,
twice, three times. Cowering
in fear within the essence of minutes,
while lusting after what could have
been, what once was. Dim lanterns,
shine for the hope of yesterday,
graciously whispering to winter leaves
the rules of the dead. Unmasked
graves along an agony of sin,
while praising the chorus of lies and
pain.
Where are you?
Mothers cast away the vanity of
sights. Sighs and moans and
unanswered longings, waiting for
them again and again and again,
for someone to come, for something
to understand, as if there was still a
wish within the world, childish dreams
carelessly evaporating.
Where are you?
Somewhere in the world.
Where are you?
Drifting along rivers of scandals.
Where are you?
Cradling nature in the depths of pity.
Where are you?
Mocking the shame of morality.
Where are you?
Somewhere.
Where are you?
Nowhere.
Can I still see you?
Yes.
Can I still see you?
No.
Where are my wishes?
Over there, in a life boat far, far away.
Yes, you should go save them.
I can hear them drowning.
