Draw the Dark

By: Ilsa J. Bick

Narrated by: Joshua Swanson

There are things in Winter, Wisconsin, folks just don't talk about. The murder way back in '45 is one. The near-suicide of a first-grade teacher is another. And then there is 17-year old Christian Cage. Christian's parents disappeared when he was a little boy, and ever since he's drawn and painted obsessively, trying desperately to remember his mother.

The problem is Christian doesn't just draw his own memories. He can draw the thoughts of those around him. Confronted with fears and nightmares they'd rather avoid, people have a bad habit of dying. So it's no surprise that Christian isn't exactly popular. What no one expects is for Christian to meet Winter's last surviving Jew and uncover one more thing best forgotten the day the Nazis came to town.

Based on a little-known fact of the United States' involvement in World War II, Draw the Dark is a dark fantasy about reclaiming the forgotten past and the redeeming power of love.

The narrator of Draw the Dark, Joshua Swanson, was handpicked by author and Audible listener Ilsa Bick. Swanson is known for his excellent work on Ship Breaker and the Crystal Doors books.

©2010 Ilsa Bick (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Do a little research

The premise of this book sounded interesting. When I saw that it was set in Wisconsin, not too far from where I live, I decided to get it. The story isn't bad, but I wish the author had checked out a map of Wisconsin. Winter is nowhere near Milwaukee. Not remotely close. It was enough of an error, mentioned several times, to really irritate me. The author shows stretches of promise where one can get lost in the story, but those stretches are punctuated by awkward uncertainty. I wouldn't recommend it.