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The Lovely Dark

Book Synopsis

Beautifully moving and breathtakingly original, this is a story of bravery and second chances, for readers aged 9+.

When 12-year-old Eleanor Newton dies in an accident, she finds herself journeying down a mysterious river that takes her to The Underworld. She apprehensively embarks on her “afterlife” at Eventide House, a boarding school of sorts for children who have died.

The Underworld is captivating: always sunny and warm but also fractured. Strange things have been happening to Ellie since she arrived: she knows something isn’t right, and she doesn’t want to be there. She desperately wants to get back to the world of The Living to meet her new baby brother, even if it means being a ghost.

Can Ellie find a way out of the Underworld? And who – or what – will she be if she does?

The Lovely Dark is another breathtakingly original story from Matthew Fox, author of The Sky Over Rebecca. Set in the modern world, it features themes of life after a pandemic, mental health and grief, all handled with real lightness of touch.

Our Review Panel says...

The Lovely Dark is a poignant, bittersweet tale of a young girl and her experience with death.

Ellie is a warm and caring girl who loses her grandmother to COVID. Her family grieves and three years later, life seems a little brighter. That is until Ellie and her friend, Justin, start experiencing some strange phenomena. Before very long, Ellie finds herself in the underworld, in a special boarding school for recently deceased children, Eventide House. Here, Ellie starts to make friends, uncover secrets, discover if there is a way to return to the living world or decide whether she should move on…

This is a powerful and thought-provoking tale. The start of the story jumps right into the main theme, with the death of Ellie’s grandmother. The story recognises the anguish many families felt during the pandemic at not being able to say goodbye to their loved ones but highlights the importance of grieving and moving forward.

As the story continues, links are made to the Ancient Greek underworld and the tragic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice – setting the reader up for what comes next. Eventide House sounds like the ideal school, where children can choose what they do all day. However, Ellie struggles with this strange place and is soon exploring and investigating some mysterious elements. In the style of Harry Potter, this school, and its teachers, hold secrets and the reader is never sure whether this place or characters have good or nefarious intentions for the children.

I really enjoyed this tale and finished the book very quickly, although I have to admit, it was quite an emotional read! The story, although fantasy, is still (mostly) set in the real world and the characters are believable and well-rounded. The difficult theme is handled well and the reader is kept on their toes – is this story a fantasy, a myth, a mystery or a horror? You’ll see!

A thoroughly good read.