Elliott Downing again delivers an amazing, emotion-packed and vivid tale with Some Distant Sunrise. This short story follows a protagonist who is haunted by the spectre of his four-months-dead junkie girlfriend. I enjoyed the look into what their life together was like before she died, and how death has changed her in some ways, but in others, not at all.
It takes a special talent to paint characters the way Elliott does; objectively, the girlfriend Lynn is not likeable at all, but yet through the lens of the protagonist, whose feelings about her are complicated, she somehow doesn’t come off quite so despicable as she might otherwise. The dysfunction and abusive dynamics in this were excellently and realistically portrayed. My favorite part probably was the development of the protagonist from the beginning of the story (hell, from before the story began, really) to the end. Another great, quick read! – Anne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have complicated feelings toward reading about abusive relationships in fiction. That said, I absolutely loved the portrayal of such in this story.
In Some Distant Sunrise, we follow a protagonist haunted by his recently dead girlfriend. Many of the scenes were visceral and wonderfully described. More than anything, this is a fascinating glimpse into the dark world of addiction. Really good read.
I massively enjoy Downing’s voice and style. It would be amazing to read a full novel by this author. His characters are quite compelling and well thought out! – Jake ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
99% Dark 