The Lovely Dark

By Matthew Fox

Two friends navigate the Underworld, seeking a way back to life.

4.3/5 Goodreads · 142 ratings

256 pages

$16.99Save 6%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Ellie, a twelve-year-old, finds herself in the Underworld after an accidental death, separated from her friend Justin. Guided by mysterious voices, she reaches Eventide House, a place for lost children. Despite the Underworld's beauty, Ellie senses something amiss and is determined to reunite with her family in the world of the Living. Will she find her way back, or remain trapped in this ethereal realm? As Ellie confronts the mysteries of life and death, her journey explores themes of grief and hope, leaving readers to ponder the boundaries between worlds.

From the publisher

In this haunting and poignant novel, twelve-year-old Ellie and her best friend Justin must journey through the Underworld to find their way back to the world of the Living after her accidental death. When twelve-year-old Eleanor Newton thinks she see her deceased grandmother, she misses her chance to speak with her one last time. Soon after, Ellie finds herself and her best friend Justin lost in the underworld. The pair are split up by the voices guiding their journey and Ellie arrives at Eventide House, a somewhat boarding school for children who have died. The Underworld is beautiful, but Ellie is plagued by the feeling that something isn’t right, leading her to search for a way back to her family in the world of the Living. Matthew Fox’s haunting and lyrical prose, exemplified in his debut The Sky Over Rebecca, guides readers through the complicated emotional landscape of grief and life after the pandemic with sincerity and a promise of hope.

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