Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Painted Darkness by Brian James Freeman

Review based on ARC.

This is a creepy little page-turner that explores the boundaries between reality and imagination.

Freeman tells dual stories surrounding Henry, an artist with a dark imagination. Henry's story is told through chapters that alternate back and forth between "The Present," when Henry is an adult artist who paints to master his dark imagination, and "The Birth of the Artist," when Henry is five and experiences a trauma that shapes the remainder of his life.

Although the novella is short, it is replete with details that create an ambiance of danger, mystery, and threatening darkness. Freeman effectively uses this interplay to drive the narrative forward and urge his readers to uncover the mysteries of the past and the present.

I definitely recommend for readers who like to be a little creeped out.

FOUR of five stars.