Francesco Dimitri’s The Dark Side of the Sky begins as a breezy, compelling novel of supernatural possibility. In a rapid round-robin fashion we meet the attendees of The Open Feast, a spiritual retreat run in Puglia, the southern tip of Italy. The characters are varied and intriguing. But from the get-go, it’s clear something is off. We meet a first-person plural narrator named The Bastion. There’s a meal, and when someone asks “What is death?” the answer shifts from “A blank slate” to “A gift!”
A gift indeed. It turns out that The Dark Side of the Sky is itself a gift to readers. It’s easy and fun to read. We love the characters; Ric and Becca, who own the property and run the retreat, Charlie, a grieving widow, Zoey who herself runs a sort of spiritual retreat business, Soul Journey, and more than need make an appearance in this review. It’s a big cast, but Dmititri’s skillful, invisible writing, puts us right there. We meet the crowd as they bond, past and present.
It turns out that The Open Feast – Ric and Bekka – are looking for some particular people. We see this crowd come together, and our vision is quite clear and complicated, thanks to The Bastion. Dimitri has something up his sleeve, using a first-person plural narrator to convey the sort of storytelling usually handed off to third-person omniscient narration. The immersive effect is surreal and intense the first time the group clicks, revealing the power of the group and a force that threatens not just them, but humanity. Apocalypse is nigh.
But humanity is nigh as well. Dimitri doesn’t take the easy way out. Phones work, the internet lurks, and those excluded from The Open Feast are quick to judge. Cold, hard reality is never far from a group of characters that readers come to love and in the context of the book, believe.
Suffice it to say that Dimitri sticks the landing with quite unexpected force. This is a gentle, very enjoyable novel, alas, like the delicious Halloween apple loaded with razor blades. You’ve already swallowed.
Francesco Dimitri is as sunny and severe as his novel. He brings more than a little personal experience to the novel and our conversation, downloadable here. Or you can sip some wine and listen below. Turn off your phone, ignore the social media. At least, try.
Narrative Species 