A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James

Synopsis

“From the book’s chillingly creepy setting, which previously appeared in The Sun Down Motel (2020), to a nerve-jangling plot that effectively borrows from a mix of genres to the writing itself, which shimmers with a dazzlingly sharp sense of wit, everything about St. James’ latest is done to perfection.”-Booklist (starred review)

Simone St. James, the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel, returns with her scariest, most shocking novel yet in this pulse-pounding story about siblings who return to the house they fled 18 years before, called back by the ghost of their long-missing brother and his haunting request: Come home.

Strange things happen in Fell, New York. A mysterious drowning at the town’s roadside motel. The unexplained death of a young girl whose body is left by the railroad tracks. For the Esmie siblings—Violet, Vail, and Dodie—the final straw was the shocking disappearance of their little brother. It started as a normal game of hide-and-seek. The three closed their eyes and counted to ten while Ben went to hide. But this time, they never found their brother—he was gone and the ongoing search efforts turned up no clues.

As their parents grew increasingly distant, Violet, Vail, and Dodie were each haunted by visions and frightening events that made them leave town and never look back. Violet still sees dead people—spirits who remind her of Sister, the menacing presence that terrorized her for years.

And now after two decades running from their past, it’s time for a homecoming. Because Ben is back, and he’s ready to lead them to the answers they’ve longed for and long feared. If the ghosts of Fell don’t get to them first.

A Box Full of Darkness is another propulsive thriller from the author of The Broken Girls and The Book of Cold Cases, a surprising horror story from a writer who is “particularly gifted at doling out twists” (The New York Times).

Ratings

Overall Rating

3/5

Spooky Rating

2/5

Gore Rating

0/5

Content Considerations

Graphic

Child death, Grief, Violence

Moderate

Suicide, Murder, Death of parent

Minor

Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Vomit

*Courtesy of StoryGraph

Specific considerations I found: Inappropriate and stigmatizing language when referring to people with mental health concerns, especially how these characters are treated throughout the book.

Full Review

Quick Take

I have been reading all of Simone St. James’ books with a friend for years. Unfortunately, I see a disappointing trend happening. In my opinion (as with Riler Sager, whose books I used to thoroughly enjoy) the more prolific St. James has become, the poorer her writing and stories are. Such is the case with A Box Full of Darkness.

Tell Me More

Simone St. James’ earlier books, such as Silence for the Dead, were well written, atmospheric, haunting, and beautiful. With her newest book, A Box Full of Darkness, it feels like a completely different author has written it. There were still some nice atmospheric elements, as well as a mystery that kept me turning the pages. But it all felt very uninspired.

While I enjoy how she makes easter eggs in her more recent novels referring to landmarks or elements from her others (the Sun Down Motel was referenced throughout this book) there were quite a few things that made it not only lackluster, but a questionable read.

I gave it 3 stars because I did like some of the quotes, paranormal elements, and dark humor. Otherwise, I would have rated the book lower. There were some things that didn’t make sense, and one big thing that was inexcusable.

Starting with the inexcusable: how she refers to a character with mental health concerns, as well as mental health in general, including suicide. One character, Violet, is frequently saying how she is a “mental patient,” and “mental patients” can’t be good mothers or wives – which is why her husband won full custody of their daughter. She constantly refers to herself as a mental patient because she needed intensive mental health care at one point. This could be part of her character’s dialogue experiencing shame, but I question it.

The repetition of using derogatory language when referring to people with mental health concerns, such as the constant use of “crazy,” was inappropriate. Including how she touches on suicide. I don’t want to say too much to avoid spoilers. But the way suicide is treated in this novel, and the character who is villainized, is ill informed and disgusting.

Moving on to the parents. The book follows three adult siblings, “the Esmies.” When their parents are mentioned, they are referred to as having not been around often or as being very toxic/abusive. This element could be a purposeful part of the mystery that leaves the reader contemplating, but it didn’t seem to make sense as the story went on. In reference to their youngest brother’s mysterious disappearance when they were all kids, which is the focus of the novel, there appears to be a huge plot hole when it comes to the parents.

“Oh, what a joy it is to have a childhood in which you’re a freak. To understand early that you’re so unlike other people that you’re impossible for them to comprehend. To learn not to trust what you see and to certainly never speak of it. To think you might be insane, and to know that if you are, you’re alone in a world in which no one cares.”

Again, to avoid spoilers, I won’t say a lot. But the “reveal” of what happened to their younger brother doesn’t fit with the minor information we know about their parents.

All characters were very superficial. None of them had very much depth or were downright unlikable (and not in a good way). Some characters were merely plot devices, and the primary characters weren’t portrayed in a way that helps the reader connect with them. Dodie, one of the sisters, is made to be the “gorgeous rebel who is also a model,” Vail, the brother, is contemptuous with dark humor, and Violet is the “mental patient.” Violet’s daughter is portrayed as a younger version of Dodie, and the only other primary character is a man who they grew up around but is incredibly unlikable and derogatory.

“After I moved out of this house, I didn’t see the light and the figures anymore. I had plenty of other things to keep me awake at night – like, say, agonizing grief, heavy existential dread mixed with rage, and bleak contemplation of the future. Adulthood is fun.”

The number of times these characters were described as inhaling or exhaling. For those who don’t know, it’s a running joke how often authors use the phrase, “____ let out a breath they didn’t realize they were holding.” Throughout this novel, the characters are all described inhaling or exhaling in different ways, as though St. James was trying too hard to avoid falling into the trap of this overused phrase.

The things I did enjoy were the classic eerie elements. Such as going back to their abandoned childhood home, a creepy attic, antique toys, and mysterious words written on the wall. Violet has the ability to see ghosts and is haunted by a ghost called “Sister” who she encounters again when returning to the home. There was a variety of mysterious threads throughout this novel, loose ends, and I just wish St. James had focused more on developing the characters rather than focusing so much on the plot. It is also vital to mention that she should be more respectful of how she refers to those who struggle with mental health concerns, especially suicide and suicidal ideation.

“Why grow morals when no one care whether you have them or not?”

While the story was intriguing enough to keep the pages turning, this isn’t a novel that is going to stick with me beyond its negative attributes.