A review by kcmoss
Lord of Dark Places by Hal Bennett

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Hal Bennett’s Lord of Dark Places is an older book, published in 1970, that you won’t find on TikTok, that I doubt many have read. Still, it is a book that will stick with me forever. The writing was perversely poetic, funny, and touching. Hal Bennett is criminally underrated as this is undoubtedly one of the most original, thought provoking books I’ve ever read. Like the back cover says, it’s truly eclectic as it’s part satire, myth, blues, bildungsroman, detective thriller, social commentary, and parable. For these reasons, I’d rate it 5/5 stars. But this book is not for the faint of heart as it can be extremely hard to read (tw: incest, child SA, cult religion, racism, lynching, homophobia, war, body horror, murder, rape). 

If you’re still interested, this book follows the life of a Black man, Joe, from 12 to 30 whose grandfather was lynched and castrated by white men for winking at a white woman, whose father (a product of incest) witnesses and kills his wife (Joe’s mother), and starts “grooming” his son as the next Black Messiah, or “the one who comes before Him.” Joe’s father creates this new religion based on his critique of Christianity centering the naked Black male and his penis as an affirmation of Blackness and the repudiation of the subhumaness of Blackness the religion teaches. Joe’s father teaches him to “always give in when you’re tempted. That way you’ll never have problems with your conscience” and Joe proceeds to live a life stained by sex, drugs, struggle, and brutality. The novel contains different stories and stages of Joe’s life, several themes, and a pointed discussion about what it means to be Black in America. It is as important as it is graphic and violent.

I was really hesitant to recommend this book, but I think it’s a satisfying challenge for even the most avid reader. If you decide to pick it up, PLEASE let me know what you think. If you’ve already read this- I like your taste and trust your book recommendations implicitly.