What do you think?
The Light to Never Be Snuffed
“Imagination and fixation collude in Josh Dale's The Light to Never Be Snuffed, a curious, captivating little slice of surreal domesticity, where the lines between the familiar need to catch ‘em all and the need to live happily blur.”
—Nick Perilli, author of Cul-de-sac
“ The Light to Never Be Snuffed is a story of the fight against fear and the continuous struggle over fragility. Jack Grand, an antisocial boy, can only hope to one day find the light at the end of the tunnel.”
— Maryam Qureshi, author of Songs of Cardinal
“This prose is so vivid that I see words transforming into ants and crawling over this book’s pages. It’s short with a strong voice and is just as weird as I like it.”
—Joe Walters, editor-in-chief of Independent Book Review
—Nick Perilli, author of Cul-de-sac
“ The Light to Never Be Snuffed is a story of the fight against fear and the continuous struggle over fragility. Jack Grand, an antisocial boy, can only hope to one day find the light at the end of the tunnel.”
— Maryam Qureshi, author of Songs of Cardinal
“This prose is so vivid that I see words transforming into ants and crawling over this book’s pages. It’s short with a strong voice and is just as weird as I like it.”
—Joe Walters, editor-in-chief of Independent Book Review
124 pages, Paperback
Published September 4, 2022
About the author
Josh Dale
11 books31 followersAuthor of RAGE: STORIES, a fiction chapbook, DUALITY LIES BENEATH, a poetry collection, and THE LIGHT TO NEVER BE SNUFFED, a novella. Indie publisher of Thirty West for 10+ years.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 26, 2022
Mother fucking ants, you guys!
The Light to Never Be Snuffed is a surreal peek into a young boy's damaged view of the world and the increasingly strange ways in which he copes with escalating domestic unrest.
Jack was homeschooled and is preparing to enter the third grade. His dad drinks, his mom wears bruises like jewlery, he's sick of the ants that seem to have run of the household, and he's probably got a concussion from the hit he took to the head when helping his dad in the garage.
He typically hides in his room and plays his gameboy, knowing enough to stay out of the way when his parents start to get into it. But he's concerned, he knows something's not right, and he creates an imaginary friend to keep his head occupied as things become increasingly more difficult for him.
It's a weird little novella that is easily read in one sitting but fair warning, it's not going to be for everyone.
The Light to Never Be Snuffed is a surreal peek into a young boy's damaged view of the world and the increasingly strange ways in which he copes with escalating domestic unrest.
Jack was homeschooled and is preparing to enter the third grade. His dad drinks, his mom wears bruises like jewlery, he's sick of the ants that seem to have run of the household, and he's probably got a concussion from the hit he took to the head when helping his dad in the garage.
He typically hides in his room and plays his gameboy, knowing enough to stay out of the way when his parents start to get into it. But he's concerned, he knows something's not right, and he creates an imaginary friend to keep his head occupied as things become increasingly more difficult for him.
It's a weird little novella that is easily read in one sitting but fair warning, it's not going to be for everyone.
October 18, 2022
The ants will invade your head and won't let up!! This book grabs you in a weird, subtle way that leads readers to keep flipping pages to see what's next for Jack and his odd parents. The story is told in a way that brings me a lot of nostalgia; no, I didn't have an ant problem growing up, but I loved Pokémon. The references to Pokémon types, attacks and game editions brought me back to my childhood. This book holds me down and has easily become one of my favorites.
November 6, 2022
An excellently written novella following the story of young Jack who is growing up in a troubled family. His parents are struggling to pay bills and his dad is dealing drugs.The story is an excellent portrayal of how Jack processes everything. I love how well the verbiage of the story perfectly fits that of a young boy, Pokémon references and all. 5 out of 5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2022
I speak for the ant colony.
October 28, 2022
A surreal, sublime, funky read that made me audibly gasp at the end.
October 9, 2023
A fun read that filled me with the right kind of nostalgia. The only thing better than the ending was the build-up to the ending.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews