Author: Author: Iris Yamashita
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Date Published: February 13, 2024
Beyond the mystery that Yamashita writes about, this book was a great introduction and eye-opener to me of the vastness of the Alaskan wilderness. The author takes you from the miles-long tunnel under a mountain, to the snow machines (vernacular for snowmobiles), to the aerial view from the small planes that might be the only way to get in and out of a remote location. From the city of Anchorage, to “Point Mettier, Alaska (inspired but not wholly based on the real-life Whittier, Alaska), where all 205 residents live in the same high-rise building”.
I was also touched by the author’s knowledge of indigenous people and language, and the mythology that informed so much of the traditions in the small villages. It’s a place where the Aurora Borealis holds mystical power. And even though this book is fiction, it is appalling to know that so many people, especially women, choose to live off the grid because of a fear of their past.
And finally, this is a great thriller based on missing persons, a pharmaceutical company, some bad actors, and the people that will go to great lengths to stop them.
This book is part of a series, although I did see it listed as such. The first book was City Under One Roof. It’s not necessary to read the first book, though it would have helped me with some confusion I had at the beginning of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for an advance reader’s copy and for allowing me to take part in the blog tour for Village in the Dark.
Background photo courtesy of Johny Goerend at Unsplash.
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About the author
Iris Yamashita is an Academy Award–nominated screenwriter for the movie Letters from Iwo Jima. She has been working in Hollywood for fifteen years developing material for both film and streaming, has taught screenwriting at UCLA, and is an advocate of women and diversity in the entertainment industry. She has also been a judge and mentor for various film and writing programs, and lives in California.
Visit her online at www.irisyamashita.com, Facebook.com/iris.yamashita, Twitter @IrisYamashita, and Instagram @irisyamashita
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