From Gillian Flynn Books, a lyrical YA horror by debut author Wen-yi Lee that’s perfect for fans of She Is a Haunting, Stephen King’s IT, and The Haunting of Hill House.
Art student Isadora Chang swore never to return to Slater. Growing up, Isa never felt at ease in the repressive former mining town, even before she realized she was bisexual—but after the deaths of two of her childhood friends, Slater went from feeling claustrophobic to suffocating. Isa took off before the town could swallow her, too, even though it meant leaving behind everything she knew, including her last surviving friend Mason.
When Isa’s abusive father kicks the bucket, she agrees to come back just long enough to collect the inheritance. But then Mason, son of the local medium, turns up at the cemetery with a revelation and a plea: their friends were murdered by a supernatural entity, and he needs Isa to help stop the evil—before it takes anyone else.
When Isa begins to hear strange songs on the wind, and eerie artwork fills her sketchbook that she can’t recall drawing, she’s forced to stop running and confront her past. Because something is waiting in the shadows of Slater’s valleys, something that feeds on the pain and heartbreak of its children. Whatever it is, it knows Isa’s back… and it won’t let her escape twice.
- Title: The Dark We Know
- Author: Wen-yi Lee
- Publisher: Gillian Flynn Books
- Publication Date: August 13th, 2024
- Genre: Horror
- Targeted Age Range: YA
- Content Warnings: suicidal ideation & suicide, grief and depression, references to self-harm, pregnancy scare anxiety (side character/not main plot), domestic abuse, body horror, religious trauma (+ general trauma) and repressive environment
- Rating: ★★★★★
The Dark We Know has been on my radar for so long, I don’t even remember when I first heard about it. Once I heard that it was inspired by Spring Awakening, I knew I had to read it; add in that it was a horror novel and getting compared to The Haunting of Hill House? Honestly, say less, I’m absolutely hooked. It’s been a little bit of a struggle to get my hands on a copy, but recently I saw the audiobook available on Hoopla and I jumped at the chance to borrow it, then I devoured this book in about 3.5 hours (yes, on 2x speed).
While this isn’t a Spring Awakening retelling, when it comes to a book that is inspired by a specific piece of media, I want to either clearly see the inspiration from the source material or want it to evoke the same feelings in me that the source material does. The Dark We Know accomplished both absolutely stunningly. The Spring Awakening inspiration was there and clear for anyone who knows it, but not so specific that you would be lost without reading the original play or knowing the musical; The Dark We Know very clearly stands on its own but is a beautiful tribute to the story that Frank Wedekind wrote in 1891 and the musical that Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik premiered in 2006.
The atmosphere in this book was stunning and definitely eerie! I often read horror novels late at night (as late at night tends to be the only time I can really read without any interruptions) and they don’t typically bother me, but something about this one really got under my skin from the beginning. Lee’s writing is so haunting and lyrical — I was immediately transported into this world and could vividly picture what was happening. The writing in this book is phenomenal and I can’t wait to reread and annotate, because there were so many lines that had me saying “Oh, that’s stunning”.
Based on the synopsis and story inspiration, I knew that The Dark We Know would make me emotional and most likely make me cry. What I didn’t expect was how hard this book would hit me emotionally. I can’t even pinpoint one moment that made me really emotional because the whole story did. There were moments where I had silent tears streaming down my face and others where I was really crying and that was happening on and off probably from the 40-50% mark until the end. This one affected me emotionally in ways that not many books have, and that was really special for me.
I felt so connected to Isa and Mason, and their pain and fear was palpable — thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes. The trauma and tragedy that they’d experienced by the time they were 18 was so heartbreaking, but what I absolutely loved was that even though there were times when they wanted to, they never truly gave up and they fought against all the people and circumstances that tried to break them. I found the two of them to be such wonderful characters to follow.
If I had to pick a song from Spring Awakening that, to me, really encompasses The Dark We Know (and of course I do), I would have to go with Whispering (one of my favorite musical theatre songs ever). Whispering is a song that fills me with so many emotions; longing, heartbreak, grief, anger, and fear, but most importantly, hope. The last stanza of Whispering is,
“Listening, for the hope / for the new life / something beautiful / a new chance / hear it’s whispering there again”
And by the end of The Dark We Know, I think that’s where these characters are. They can’t erase the pain and suffering that they’ve experienced, but they can hope for better in the future. They’ve survived the unimaginable and there’s possibility for something better moving forward. There’s also super strong Those You’ve Known vibes (and some lines that play on the lyrics very well). Just as Melchior has to learn that while he can’t bring Wendla and Moritz back, their spirits and the impact that they had on him will always be with him, Isa and Mason learn the same. You can relate any song from Spring Awakening to The Dark We Know, but Whispering and Those You’ve Known were definitely tracks that I had in my head the most throughout my reading experience.
Honestly, I feel like I could gush about this book for hours and the impact that it had on me, but I will stop here so this post doesn’t become too long. This is a perfect read for this time of year and I can’t recommend it more. If you’re a fan of Spring Awakening, or horror novels with some fantasy elements, or just a story with beautiful writing and characters that will burrow themselves into your heart, you must read The Dark We Know.
Links for The Dark We Know: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop
Wen-yi Lee is the author of YA horror The Dark We Know and forthcoming adult historical fantasy When They Burned the Butterfly. Her writing has appeared in venues like Lightspeed, Uncanny, Reactor, and Strange Horizons, as well as various anthologies. She is based in Singapore and is a graduate of University College London, and likes writing about girls with bite, feral nature, and ghosts. Find her on socials @wenyilee_ and otherwise at wenyileewrites.com.
