After her missing friend mysteriously reappears, a young woman finds herself pulled into another realm in Lakin’s novel.
Twenty-one-year-old Charlie Louise still finds herself preoccupied by thoughts of her best friend and first love, Marion Del Rosario, who disappeared without a trace 10 years ago. In the interim, Charlie’s become close to a new friend, Adrian Benedict, and has a good relationship with her father. But, while attending meaningless parties and working a dead-end coffee shop job, she often feels out of place in her own life; it seems like she’s the only one who still remembers Marion. She also has strange, unsettling dreams; while awake, she sometimes glimpses weird, inhuman figures whom no one else can see. When Marion suddenly reappears, it’s not the happy reunion of Charlie’s dreams. Marion is different––quiet, fearful, and initially unwilling to answer questions. But she does admit that she, too, can see the man in black whom Charlie’s been seeing around town. This is only the start of the cryptic messages Charlie receives from Marion—she also hears a voice in her head that tells her things such as “I went to the Border to witness the Katalpian Dusk….” Charlie is plagued by insomnia and a determination to get to the bottom of Marion’s time in captivity in a realm called the Borderlands, where Marion read a journal that contained horrors beyond human comprehension. Lakin switches between multiple perspectives throughout the novel, including those of Charlie, Marion, and the journal writer, to intriguing effect. At times, the dialogue is unrealistically long-winded, taking up lengthy paragraphs. Marion’s narration is appropriately ominous and unsettling, however, which sows a great sense of dread regarding the fate of Charlie’s character. The women’s relationship is a believable one that will hook readers; Adrian’s introduction also makes him an easy person to root for. Overall, it’s a satisfying addition to the cosmic-horror genre.
A creepy tale of reality-shattering revelations that will grip avid horror fans.
