Review of 'We Are All the Same in the Dark' on 'LibraryThing'
Julia Heaberlin sets her novels in a haunted part of Texas. The voices are all anchored in the soil of the place and there's a quality of light in the setting that matches the almost mythic storytelling. If you're looking for realism, maybe get off at another stop. Here you'll find something a little Gothic, a little fanciful, and full of vivid descriptions provided by memorable voices. First Wyatt, who seems almost touched in the head as he stops to check into what he thinks might be an injured animal, dismayed and torn when he finds out its a girl surrounded by a circle of dandelions. He's not trusted, and the folks in town are likely to blame whatever happened to this girl on him. returnreturnThe next part of the story is told by a woman who had been Wyatt's girlfriend once, was in an accident that left her with …
Julia Heaberlin sets her novels in a haunted part of Texas. The voices are all anchored in the soil of the place and there's a quality of light in the setting that matches the almost mythic storytelling. If you're looking for realism, maybe get off at another stop. Here you'll find something a little Gothic, a little fanciful, and full of vivid descriptions provided by memorable voices. First Wyatt, who seems almost touched in the head as he stops to check into what he thinks might be an injured animal, dismayed and torn when he finds out its a girl surrounded by a circle of dandelions. He's not trusted, and the folks in town are likely to blame whatever happened to this girl on him. returnreturnThe next part of the story is told by a woman who had been Wyatt's girlfriend once, was in an accident that left her with a prosthetic leg, and now is a cop in a police department brooded over by the memory of her cop father. She wants to keep the girl Wyatt found safe, and she wants to find out what happened to Wyatt's sister, who disappeared years earlier. Then we get the voice of the girl who was surrounded by dandelions, committed to finding out what happened to another missing woman. returnreturnLike I say, more mythic than realistic, more Gothic than gritty, but all told with a rich, lovely use of language and setting. Cross that disbelief suspension bridge and enjoy the work of a really gifted storyteller.
