BOOK REVIEW: Out of the Dark by Adele Geras ★★★★★
Rob returned from the war with no face. His once perfect life, complete with a beautiful girlfriend and enjoyable job, is over and all that is left is a small attic room in his mother's house. Haunted by nightmares of the trenches and the ghost of his army captain, the only thing keeping him alive is his determination to find his captain's family and return a photograph to them. Hounded by the constant stares and horrified faces of strangers in the street, Rob finds respite in the dark, anonymous cinema. Little does he know, his love of film is about to open the door to a brand new life.
Geras short story, both moving and tragic tells about the effects of war. It follows a young man trying to rebuild his life after being seriously wounded in the war, and in return goes on a journey to find inner peace.
Rob tells the story about how he lost his face, the nightmares he suffers and what he must do to help the ghost of his Captain Harry Ashton. He also talks about his life before the war, how he used to work at the draper's shop on Essex Avenue, his mother telling him that girls liked his blue eyes and smile, and how he met his then-girlfriend Millie. But after the war, his world is ripped apart; he can’t face society with a masked blown up face. He can’t get his former job and so he focuses his energy on finding the captain’s family. Rob relied on his looks, but then after working as a projectionist, he discovers that his kindness, which he thought he lost in the war outshines and gets him his peace.
It’s a shame it was only a short story. I could imagine it in as a novella with potential story expansion. This deserves a 5 star.
Rating 5/5 Stars
Publishers: Quercus
Publication Date: February 5th 2015
Genre: Historical /Short Story
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