A review by howlinglibraries
The Only Safe Place Left Is the Dark by Warren Wagner

dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

 
By the summer of 1988, the only thing holding Frankie’s bones together was his skin.

From the very first line, you know The Only Safe Place Left is the Dark will be a bleak, unsettling tale, and it surely delivers. It's a unique perspective on a post-apocalyptic "infected" scenario, and Quinton is an easy character to empathize with. The writing was lovely, the pacing was solid, and the underlying plot about Quinton's experiences as an HIV+ gay man in the 80s was absolutely heartbreaking.

My only complaint is that I wish this story had been longer! I think it would've worked beautifully as a 150- to 200-page novella, and then we would have had more time to watch certain emotional elements and characters develop, which would have allowed the story's high stakes to be even better. That said, I still immensely enjoyed this and highly recommend it!

Thank you to BookSirens for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.

✨ Representation: Quinton is gay and HIV+; mentions of a (deceased) gay character; Billy is Black, gay, and HIV+ 
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