Systematic Student + YA

Review: The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith

The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith is a book I was not expecting. I started the book pretty much knowing only that it was about two characters, one of whom saw ghosts. There are a lot of place that an author can go with that as a guideline, so I wasn't totally sure what to expect.

It's told in perspectives alternating between Katie, the girl who sees ghosts, and Law, a teenager struggling to meet the expectations of his parents — a white mom from a well to do family, and the black father who is THE name in black reparations — what you owe to the black man.

I like multicultural fiction, and have lately been making it a priority to read it more often. But, I didn't pick up this book knowing that, not only were our narrators of different races, but that race was a huge factor into the story as a whole. When I started noticing how focused Law's dad was on what it is the white man owes to the black man, I was a little worried. I don't enjoy reading books that are political agendas lightly disguised as fiction, no matter what the agenda. However, I believe that Smith handled the topic beautifully. She met at the perfect median, where I understood Law, and to a lesser degree, his father, but I never once felt bludgeoned by one view point or another. The ideas of race and reparations are vital, not only to this particular story, but also to the growth and maturation of Law.

I found it interesting that both Katie and Law seemed to find themselves torn between two worlds. Katie's is obvious. She has contact with the dead that alienates people, make them think she's simply crazy. She lives in our world, but must also learn to deal with those from the other side who want her help. Law's struggle is different. He has a white mother and a black father and he feels torn between two races. He isn't black enough to claim what his father has, but isn't really white enough either. He's stuck somewhere in the middle, and he spends the larger part of the book trying to figure out just where and what that is.

Law was my favorite narrator. Although I really liked Katie, and thought her voice was strong and well defined, the passages narrated by Law resonated with me more, and I felt more of a connection to law than to Katie. I think part of this is because everyone knows what it's like to feel like you don't fit in, with family or friends, but not many (if any) people have legitimate contact with ghosts. Although, I must say, Smith's imagery is amazingly vivid. I found myself shivering and looking over my shoulder more than a few times while reading this book, and was awed by the scenes she crafted.

I've already admitted that this book isn't what I expected, but I definitely think it was better. There is a strong sense of history within this novel, and it places a strong importance on the value of the past, our families and discovering who we are, and who we might become. This is a book I am happy to recommend.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Star Book Tours.

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Review: The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith + YA