Book Review for A Sound in the Dark by Kyle Alexander Romines
A Sound in the Dark, by Kyle Alexander Romines, is a dark thriller about prey endeavoring to survive in the depths of tragedy.
Zack is struggling to move on from the loss of his ex-girlfriend, Lily. In order to cheer him up, Dave, Will, Cole, and Steve decide to go camping with him at Drifter’s Folly, a beautiful national park with a very frightening history. After a series of strange experiences, the friends soon find themselves at the mercy of a ruthless serial killer called “The Hunter”. It’s a nightmarish fight for survival, as they themselves begin to unravel with each hour past.
I enjoyed the sorrowful romance between Lily and Zack. Everything she did influenced Zack’s willingness to fight, whether it be for his life or the life of someone else’s. I personally believe Lily helped Zack to absolve him of his guilt; she was, after all, a kind girl, no matter what anyone else may say. Will, on the other hand, didn’t have that kind of nature. He sacrificed everyone just to survive, even though he came across as a nice person at first. The fact that he was the one whom Lily cheated with was also another shocker. It was because of these relationships that made the ending as immaculately bittersweet as it was. With only the ghost of memories lingering behind, I couldn’t help but ask myself if Zack really was okay with moving on. Then again, it’s not my past to dwell on.
This brings me to the theme of letting go. Zack held himself responsible for Lily’s death for the longest time. It’s the driving factor of his self-hate and, ironically, his survival. He vowed not to abandon Beth the same way he had Lily, and though he was fighting for his life, he didn’t lose himself in the end. He will have to carry on the emory of his friends for the rest of his life, but even so, I believe he’ll be fine. Hunter did try to draw out humanity’s primitivity, but in doing so, I got to see something else, something vital that contributes to people’s strength. It’s why genres such as horror and thriller are so popular; it lets us see exactly what lingers in humanity, and how far a person would go to protect their loved ones. Morality has nothing to do with it.
As such, I would give this book a rating of a 4.7 out of 5 stars. The characters demonstrated that despite their faults, they still helped each other, even if it meant them dying. They also showed that humanity isn’t as predictable as we’d like for it to be, and that’s what makes the book such a wonderful read. Because of this, I would recommend this book to those who love post-apocalyptic worlds and thrillers in general.
