Book Review | The Distant Dead by Heather Young

In the high desert hills, a body burns. A boy discovers the remains and becomes a reluctant witness. A firefighter wants to help but faces challenges. A middle school teacher searches for answers as she deals with a haunted past. All of them will collide in a dark tale of loss, revenge, and murder.

High above them, in the hills that once rimmed the lake, a fire burned. It leaped and played among the acacias, golden, laced with orange, and black at its heart. It danced for a long time, this fire did, singing its fevered song to the night.

It takes longer than you might think, for a man to burn.

The Distant Dead is a thoughtful mystery that showcases stunning prose and well-rounded characters. Adam Merkel is the newest teacher at Lovelock Middle School; a quiet, reserved man who keeps to himself. Nora Wheaton, the social studies teacher at the school tries to befriend Adam though he’s not entirely receptive. But he connects with Sal Prentiss, a neglected and lonely sixth-grader in his maths class. And it was Sal who finds Adam’s body, burned beyond recognition. He reports it to Jake, a local firefighter who knows Sal’s family.

The book is told from three POVs – Nora, Jake, and Sal from before Adam’s death. It shows how Adam and Sal’s friendship developed, and how it all went wrong. Nora’s investigation takes her down the road to Adam’s past when he was a professor at a university until he left abruptly. The characters are all grappling with some form of loss and regret. Their actions are a result of that pain, and it’s harrowing to read. My favourite character is Sal, a boy forced to grow up faster than he should. His story is heartbreaking yet his resilience shines through.

Dealing with themes like poverty, drugs, and addiction, this book is pretty heavy to read. I thought the way the mystery is crafted is compelling. The small-town setting feels stifling, where everyone knows everyone and their secrets. I found myself surprised by the character turns, and it kept me on my toes. Although I did find the ending has a twist too many, I understand what the author is trying to convey and I think it was effective. It’s a story about redemption, in whatever means possible.

Well-woven and meditative, The Distant Dead is perfect for fans of The Lost Man and The Searcher.

CW: child death, drug abuse

I received a copy from the publisher and Netgalley for review purposes.

About the author: Heather Young

Photo by Cullan Smith