Plot Summary
Miley, an Olympic biathlete, is working a summer job at a lodge in the Frank Church Wilderness. Despite warnings of bears, one of which may have killed a woman four years earlier, Miley continues to train on her own in some remote areas in the wilderness. What she doesn’t know is that bears are not what she needs to fear. When she is abducted and taken to a cabin deep in the woods, she finds herself in a terrifying situation with little hope of escape.
Initial Thoughts
Gray After Dark is one of few novels that have captured my attention immediately. I typically find myself getting 20-30% into a book before it really becomes a page-turner, but this was not the case here. This thriller left me nearly as short-of-breath as I would have been had I tried to compete against Miley, herself.
Trigger Warnings
While I don’t like giving trigger warnings because I view them as spoilers, I will mention that this novel does have a lot of strong adult material and should be approached with caution. While I won’t say whether this book does or does not have any particular form of violence so as not to spoil it, I will say that any of the following are fair game in a novel of this sort: physical assault, sexual assault, verbal assault, violence against animals, and more. There are definitely a few horrific incidents in this story, and it is not for the queasy considering there are some bloody moments.
Review
The setting of this novel is itself a beautiful yet terrifying place: an expanse of wilderness stretching 2.37 million acres, or 3,700 square miles. The Frank Church Wilderness is a dense forest with alpine lakes and features the River of No Return (Salmon River), known for its fast-moving rapids which made it impossible in the past and difficult now to return up-river after traveling downstream. The setting of a rugged wilderness and all its potential dangers adds to the anxiety that Miley’s situation emits and exacerbates the unsettling atmosphere of the secluded cabin in the woods.
Below is a photo of the Salmon River, also known as the River of No Return, within the Frank Church Wilderness. The photo shows the density of the surrounding forest and the reason why Miley’s abduction amongst such terrain is so terrifying.
Miley’s long-time friend and co-athlete, Brent, is a great supporting character in Gray After Dark, and we see much of his character throughout the story as he goes to the extremes to find his best friend. Wes, a recent friend Miley met while working at the lodge, is another fantastic supporting character who does his best to convince Miley to carry bear spray and continues to do his best in locating her after she disappears. Among all the characters in this novel, Wes and Brent were my favorites with their constant fearlessness which presented as both brave and stupid at times. Miley is a strong female character and clearly wins the bravery award with all that she experiences from the moment she is abducted until the climactic insanity in the final moments of her story.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for an intense page-turning thriller, this is it. This is a story I will not soon forget, and the author includes an afterword explaining the differences between the true story and the fictionalized portrayal of the true events, providing more to ponder. I cannot praise this book enough, and it has quickly moved up the list to my top 5 reads of all time, across all genres. The author seamlessly blends elements from so many different genres including horror, thriller, psychological thriller, romance, drama, and more, and does it so well. Breaks the rating scale.
Discover more from Book Reviews by WordsEyeView
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
