Review | The Dark Side Of The Room by Tyler Jones

Betsy Lupino lives alone with only her cats and her memories to accompany her. But these memories are slowly taken over by a growing darkness and she fears that the dark will infiltrate her world. When a stranger moves into her apartment building, strange noises and unexplained events begin happening. Betsy has to face her fears – and the darkness – in order to survive.

Time passed, the rain fell, and Betsy stood in a trance. She was about to do something, but now she couldn’t think of what it was.

The Dark Side Of The Room is a compact horror story with an intriguing premise. An elderly woman living alone in an apartment believes her new neighbour is hiding something. His dishevelled appearance and unresponsive demeanour make her suspicious. But how much of it is real and how much of it is in her head? Betsy is very much an unreliable narrator and the book makes some interesting character choices for her. She’s judgemental and has some harsh thoughts about the people in her building. She also has a bad history with her estranged daughter. But her derailing thoughts and loss of memories are quite harrowing, and despite not actually liking her, I did feel bad for Betsy.

The book fleshes out the supporting characters well, plus it made me care about Betsy’s cats! I expected a straightforward psychological horror but surprisingly it went down a grislier path, with some gruesome scenes involving rats. The final third of the book ramps up the action in a shocking way. I’m not entirely sure I was convinced of how this part of the story relates to Betsy’s mental state. The ending left me wanting. But I really liked the book’s exploration of how memories play a huge part in shaping a person’s experience and way of living. It’s a haunting book about a flawed character whose life isn’t entirely hers, but she’s willing to fight for it until the end.

The Dark Side Of The Room is a visceral and emotionally resonant horror story. Don’t miss it!

CW: graphic violence, animal death

About the author: Tyler Jones

Photo by Dan Visan