Synopsis
What if every terrible thing imagined came true? Every fleeting, nightmarish thought a reality? For grief-stricken Karina, her newfound ability to turn her worst daydreams into palpable truths has sent her into a downward spiral of depression and guilt. Coupled with the appearance of an enigmatic shadow figure and visions of her dead family, she grapples to maintain her sanity while desperately attempting to harness her abilities and reunite with her loved ones.
Review
A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!
Clearly living up to its title, In Excess of Dark by Red Lagoe is a notable foray into the ideas that take shelter in the deepest, darkest recesses of the mind. This uncanny tale follows Karina, a woman whose imagination tends to side on the darker side of things leading to ideations of the worst-possible scenarios. However, these imaginations become reality in a macabre twist, leaving her life in shambles. While navigating this bleak emotional spiral, Karina also seeks answers, for how can such a thing be possible?
Managing to write an effective novella has always been an impressive feat from a reader’s perspective; with limited page space, writers must weave a tale that nabs the attention of the reader in a short span while also delivering a compelling plot and meaningful characters. Red Lagoe can easily be ranked with the likes of authors such as Gemma Amor and Steph Nelson who have written truly frightening, compulsive horror novellas. More importantly, these stories function in a literal and metaphorical manner, tackling elusive ideas and shedding light on some of the hardest facets of humanity to encounter.
The horror implemented throughout Karina’s story is very real and very frightening. Disturbing isn’t strong enough of a word to describe certain scenes as Lagoe writes genuine scares of the heart and mind. This uncomfortableness that’s crafted through these startling scenarios lends itself to elevating and establishing Karina’s own mental status following the initial events of this story. We’ve all heard the phrase “glass half empty” when describing one’s outlook on life, yet Lagoe elevates this idea and makes it a grisly superpower of sorts.
This ability to bring the worst to life plagues Karina with loss and grief whilst she works to understand how such a power functions. This examination of grief in this stark light of (un)reality was nothing short of haunting as this is a gritty, up-close assessment of depression. Lagoe flips the script so to speak and takes the negative connotation out of depression and darker ideations, drafting a narrative that speaks to the need for understanding of such an outlook. The reasoning behind Karina’s abilities read as truly brilliant in its own creative, grim way. On an emotional level, we see that our own relationship with darkness is equally as important as our connection with light.
In Excess of Dark is a dreadful tale that delights in the darkest of instances to, rather ironically, shed light on some of life’s toughest occurrences. Red Lagoe experiments with the ideas of grief, loss, and depression to elicit a greater discussion of mental health and creative outlets. While these sound like lofty studies of elusive ideas, much of this story is rooted in sheer terror with grotesque body horror and frightening scares. Most impressive of all, Lagoe has a lot to say in such a small space, flexing her creative muscles to deliver one of the most impactful, lingering horror stories of this year.
In Excess of Dark by Red Lagoe releases on March 15, 2024, from Darklit Press.
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