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Home Before Dark,
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Joy
I didn’t like the title, it will bee hard to remember because it didn’t match the story.
Greg
Title makes no sense to me. But in the 50s and 60s, books with the word 'nurse' in the title automatically sold more books - quality or author had nothing to do with it. I'm thinking 'dark' is a popular word for a horror title, and who doesn't like 'home', so maybe the title was just auto-generated as one that has words that sells books. I'd have liked as
a title "The Secrets of the House of Horrors", combining both books in this singular book (there are 2 novels here) , but that sorta sounds like Nancy Drew title. Nothing wrong with that though! Some of those later Drew books did have adult themes, like elder abuse, and read pretty good almost 80 years after first publications! Yes, they were Agatha Christie books for very young readers.
a title "The Secrets of the House of Horrors", combining both books in this singular book (there are 2 novels here) , but that sorta sounds like Nancy Drew title. Nothing wrong with that though! Some of those later Drew books did have adult themes, like elder abuse, and read pretty good almost 80 years after first publications! Yes, they were Agatha Christie books for very young readers.
Carmen
Agree.. the title does not fit the story
Xavier F.
The title and cover allude to the chandelier in the room where the surprises in the ceiling in both timelines were uncovered. Remember that the chandelier kept going on at different times in both timelines? And that the room held surprises both times the ceiling was tampered with? Without giving away any spoilers, to me, the title refers to the fact that the characters involved would have avoided a lot of drama, if they had avoided Baneberry after dark and left well enough alone. ‘Nuff said!
Kylie Rigdon
The most interesting thing about the title is that it glows in the dark...other than that, I definitely didn't find the connection.
Nick Masters
I would much prefer a seemingly unconnected title, then a title that gives away too much.
Gail Cunningham
I had the same thought! I'm glad it's not just me!
Melissa Milich
I think the title is metaphorical. She is trying to find refuge in the safety and sanctity of a home before the darkness of secrets gets inside before her.
Karly Hazelrigg
There is an actual chapter of HoH titled "Day 20 -- Before Dark" which ends with the word "home". (Maggie & Jess were "home before dark".) More thematically, though, I related it to the general idea of mothers telling their kids to play outside but to be sure to be home before dark. The idea behind that statement, of course, being that after dark is when the really bad stuff goes down. Coming home before the dark truly settles in. It's not my favorite title but I do think it makes sense.
Chris Harriman
I keep accidentally referring to it as "Lock Every Door," a previous Sager book--just because it fits better.
Mary
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✼Summer✼
Haha!! I just finished too and was wondering the same thing!!
Meghan
I was going to ask the same question! I just finished the book and loved it, but the title leaves me scratching my head.
Judy
Makes no sense to me either.
Julie
I also wondered about the title. I loved the book but the title did not seem to fit.
Mom
I had the same question. The title didn't quite fit.
Jonathan Ribeiro
This is also a reminder that often times authors who are traditionally published do not get to provide input into the title, but a marketing team does. They're sole objective is to get you to buy the book, not really prioritizing whether it fits the contents or not.
Stephanie
I don't usually think too much about titles honestly. I probably wouldn't have even thought about it had you not mentioned it.
Shelby
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Jenn
I know Sager used Amityville Horror as a reference but it still doesn't make sense to me with the title. I bet they will change the title first thing when they start filming the movie!
HB
BJ Novak has a collection of short stories that includes one titled "The Something". It's about John Grisham's tendency to name his books "The (Something)" - The Firm, The Pelican Brief, etc. It's hilarious, and by the time I was halfway through this, I couldn't get it out of my head. Did Sager intend for this to be called "Home Before Dark"? There aren't any references to anything being more dangerous outside after nightfall, with the sole exception of old man Hibbets cryptically telling Ewan Holt that he "might need him after the witching hour", but that's a huge stretch. Maybe something got cut?
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