Home After Dark : : a Novel

Locations
Call Number: Teen Graphic Novel / Small, David, Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / General / Small, David
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Graphic Novel / Small, David	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / General / Small, David	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / General / Small, David	4-week checkout	Due 04-28-2024

Thirteen-year-old Russell Pruitt, abandoned by his mother, follows his father to dilapidated 1950s Marshfield, California where he is forced to fend for himself against a ring of malicious bullies.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

David Small submitted by bcartm01 on June 18, 2022, 10:05am I love David smalls children’s books and illustrations, which led me to read his autobiography, which is another graphic novel that I loved. This one I had a hard time connecting with, but I appreciated the beautiful illustrations all the same.

I was not expecting it to be as dark as it was submitted by Cherie on August 1, 2023, 12:21pm Taking place in the ‘50s, this is a dark and depressing story about a thirteen-year-old boy who has tragedy following him wherever he goes. Over the course of a year he loses his mom, dad, home, friends, and himself. There’s a lot to unpack here: a struggling veteran, post-WWII racism, teen angst, loneliness, homosexuality, bullying to the Nth degree, animal cruelty, and grief. Furthermore, the way the book was illustrated lends itself to a feeling of being perpetually unsettled and upset.

I was not expecting it to be as dark as it was. And although not brutally graphic, it still has some scenes that are difficult to look at (dead animals that were murdered, and a young boy being beaten to a pulp by a mob). This is one of those stories that doesn’t have a happy ending, and never really feels resolved even though there is a definitive conclusion. There is a beauty in the rawness of the story, and the way it leaves the reader feeling as if they have an open wound. However, I would not recommend this to everyone. You have to be in a particular mood to read this book, and you also have to be acutely aware that you’ll probably need a palate cleanser after reading it to recover from all the intense emotions.