Review: Krisch continues to write strong dark fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 26, 2012
This one packs an emotional punch. I was reminded of Greg Gifune's "A View from the Lake." I am not saying that it was derivative. Not in the least. I say that because it explored the same dark paths that people take through grief's landscape. Less internal than Gifune's "Lake", Krisch's novel and its main character, Angie Chandler is more grounded in the real world and its demons more tangible. I found myself cringing at her very realistic downward spiral, sort of like watching a horrible event that you know is about to happen, yet you cannot turn away. Characterization this deep and believable is rare. When a story is really well told, when the characters become truly real, in my view, the author disappears, and that is what happened--it was just the reader and Angie travelling that dark road. Beyond that, her relationship with Paul was beautiful, which made the aftermath that much more tragic. I was horrified, deeply sympathetic, and genuinely moved. And then the fun started when the final act reveals a twist that I did not see coming and crashed into a very chilling yet gratifying conclusion.