"Accustomed to the Dark is an engaging story-within-a-story that examines a cross-section of families in the 1963 American suburbs and serves as a well-crafted allegory for America's changing values."-IndieReader
Jenny Smith, a young journalist, secures a career-making interview with a famous but reclusive author, AJ Kenton. Her time with Mr. Kenton, however, is not spent asking questions but listening to one last story.
During three afternoons, Kenton describes a pivotal point in his life. As a twelve-year-old, he went door to door in his neighborhood and sold packets of flower seeds. His goal was to earn a prize from the seed company's catalog. Soon enough, achieving the prize loses its meaning compared with obtaining the knowledge he gains. His memories reveal the hidden struggles of middle-class life in the early 1960s, a time that many people picture as ideal. When neighbors invite AJ into their homes, they also invite him into their private worlds of successes, failures, and dreams.
At the same time, AJ discovers his true talents, and he faces the dysfunction that may tear his family apart. By experiencing an intimate look at a cross-section of American life from the past, Jenny realizes how our present American life is painfully similar. Ultimately, she must decide whether to unmask harsh realities or to maintain pleasant illusions. This brief novel shows that the struggles of yesterday still echo in our search for truth and belonging today.
"Through vivid imagery and well-drawn characters, Accustomed to the Dark captures the beauty and pain of growing up and emphasizes the significance of emotional connections."-The Book Commentary
"Yet, despite a darkness that pervades the lives of the characters, DeConna has buoyed this narrative with such a penetrating understanding of individuals-whether their hopes have been extinguished or rekindled-that the reader is fully invested."-Michael Hartnett, author of Death Canal
"DeConna leaves it up to the reader to ponder whether the value of truth always outweighs its cost."-Carolyn Geduld, author of The Struggle
"DeConna tells this tale with brilliant writing including some of the most hauntingly beautiful sentences I've ever read."-Yvonne de Sousa, author of Shelter of the Monument