A review by simplyb
Hold the Dark by William Giraldi

3.0

The mood and the writing of Giraldi's "Hold the Dark" is dark and riveting, the cold hostility of Alaska and the natural instinct of the wolves as large of a character as any of the others who stumble in and out of this story. It's horror after horror in this book, human nature's deepest and darkest on full display as seemingly senseless murder begets more misery and woe in a town that hates Outsiders as much as it protects its secrets. All in all, it was a well-written and compelling read, and was easy to make short order as time passed much faster than an Alaskan winter normally does. But while its darkness was delectable, its sociopathy that it portrayed left a little to be desired. Furthermore, as an Alaskan, it was evident that while the spirit of Alaska's darkness and insularity was beautifully conveyed, it clearly had the markings of being written by an Outsider looking in rather than somebody who had a deep and profound appreciation of the land. In other words, Alaska was clearly meant to be a character in the book, much like setting is a character in good noir, but it was a romanticized, superficial view of Alaska that will be compelling to all but those of us familiar with it.