I had the opportunity to read Then Came Darkness by D. H. Schleicher before it was published and since I am the author’s wife, I encouraged the publication.
If you worry that my review will somehow be tainted because of my personal relationship with the author, rest assured that I am probably more critical than most reviewers, and wives for that matter.
Then Came Darkness is set in Upstate NY during the Great Depression on the cusp of World War II. We meet the Kydd family who have been hit by hard times, made worse by the decisions and near constant absence of the father, Samuel. We know before we meet the Kydd children (Edison, Sally and Tyrus) that their father won’t be returning from his latest absence, as his past finally caught up with him in Richmond, VA.
It was hard not to be mad at Samuel for his poor choices and to roll my eyes at Evelyn’s lack of care for her children. She had an unnamed illness that resulted in seizures, however, it seemed to be more emotional than physical.
While Evelyn worked sporadically and carried on a relationship with a local doctor and Samuel lay dead down South, the Kydd children suffered through various close (and not so close) calls with accidents and the evil element that was Joshua Bloomfield.
There is a seriousness to the novel, but it is also filled with humorous passages like Sally Kydd’s interaction with the proprietor of a store she visited to get provisions when she and Tyrus were on the run.
Throughout the novel, I felt for Tyrus, the youngest Kydd child, the most. He wanted to do the right thing and was curious and imaginative. However, the circumstances of his life required a toughness and hardness well beyond his years.
In the end, there is a hopefulness when the bad guy gets his due and Sally and Tyrus manage to escape the darkness of rural NY with a chance for happier futures. But we will have to wait for D. H. Schleicher to write the next novel to find out what he has in store for them.