A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Darrin Doyle about his spellbinding horror novella, Let Gravity Seize the Dead. When I learned that Doyle’s highly praised story collection, The Dark Will End the Dark, had been released in a revised tenth-anniversary edition, I was eager to read it–and it didn’t disappoint.

It’s more than fitting that this witty, off-beat, and entertaining ride of a novel begins in–and sets more than a few scenes in–a bar. As the protagonist, Charley Hull, tells the often-hilarious, sometimes downhearted, always adventurous tale of searching for his next act in life, it’s like being seated next to the best storyteller at the local pub.

With emotional depth and arrestingly beautiful prose, this collection of linked stories examines the ways in which those who’ve been orphaned–literally or metaphorically–are supported or let down as they try to make their way forward. Even if they have family or have come under the care of supposedly supportive people or institutions (for example, doctors, teachers, schools, and other institutions), these orphans may fail to thrive. But every now and then, guardian figures try to make a difference in their lives, or so it seems. Yet those efforts are never uncomplicated. 

Sometimes, individuals and communities seek change. Other times, change is forced upon them, gradually or in what can seem like a sudden turn of events. Either way, the people affected must make choices about next steps, and about what their futures might look like–choices that can have lasting consequences. This smart, sweeping, and emotionally resonant novel explores how and why such choices are made within two fraught marriages, at a time when forces of transformation are at play in the larger community. 

This riveting, perceptive, and richly layered novel explores the lasting effects of trauma, and how it can limit our ability to trust or love. It’s also a compelling mystery story, one that considers the possibility that sometimes, the greatest enigmas are posed by those closest to us.

Duet for One is a profound and multilayered meditation on love, loss, and grief, with a passion for music resonating throughout. With empathy and insight, the novel also explores the complicated relationships within one musically talented family.