BOOK REVIEW: IN THE DARK CORNER, I STOOD ALONE

How I love short reads which leave me craving for more. “In The Dark Corner, I Stood Alone” is a meditative read that can be completed in one sitting. With little effort, the author was able to have me attached to the stories and marvel at her style of writing. In the first story, we are introduced to Valerie, a character who loves spending time in their garden. 

From the beginning, I knew I would love Val, as she was sometimes called. As the story goes on, something terrible happens. Val’s mother dies, and a few days after mourning, Val’s father decides that she needs a stepmother. Though Valerie objects this, her father is determined to bring someone to step in the shoes of his dead wife. In his eyes, he feels that Valerie needs another adult to care of her. The stepmother comes in with her son, Hector. I disliked Hector’s character as he was a pain in Valerie’s back. Valerie appears as a protagonist in the story. Val is loving and caring, while Hector is a mean-spirited person who finds joy in agitating his step-sister. During the many occasions Hector bullied and insulted Valerie, at no point did she hurl insults back at him. For this, Valerie got to be my hero in the story. I like the twist the author brought while narrating Val’s encounters in the forest. I was totally amused upon finding out she was just dreaming. 

The amazing thing about this book is that once you finish a chapter, you are introduced to a new plot and new characters in the next chapter. Every tale narrated has a different ending. Like the other stories, the last story shows how dominating the male gender can be. The themes of submission, nature, love, and patriarchy naturally emerge in the book. Feminine timidity against their male counterparts is well illustrated throughout the stories.

The author’s brevity makes the reading experience effortless. Sometimes one really wants to read but is hit with reader’s block, and so finishing a single book becomes an uphill task. Grab “In The Dark Corner, I Stood Alone” as not only will the book help you beat reader’s block, but it will also bring your reading groove back. The stories are simply structured for the most basic audience. 

I appreciate that the author used that particular font. What another way to say “look, your kid will totally have a time of their life with this book”. The texts are favorable to children as they won’t squint eyes when they are reading. Petra Pavlikova’s idea to include drawings in between stories was a brilliant move. Children enjoy drawings and pictures, and by having some creative art pieces between the pages, the author won the heart of readers, especially those of the young age.

Every youngin needs to read this book. This piece of literature evokes a new feeling for young ones, and it will help them grow their vocabulary. It is also a good book to enhance a reading culture, especially to those who have a hard time sitting through hours to read