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I heard an interview with John Vercher on NPR's Fresh Air and immediately checked out “After the Lights Go Out.” I was trying to finish a few book club books, so it took longer than I wanted to finish this book.
Am I usually interested in a book about fighters? No, it's not what I usually gravitate towards. After listening to John Vercher read some passages from the book and talk about his inspiration for the characters, I was eager to read the book. Everything rang true with what an ex-boyfriend talked about in relation to MMA he used to do.
The author has an amazing ear for how people actually talk. And not just one voice, but many including the voices we use for different situations (speaking to our educated Mom or our morally questionable cousin or our inner voice). So much so that you know the people in this book.
Beyond great characterization, the relatively short novel has layers upon layers. At no point do these layers feel forced, either. Wanting a pet and finding you're a poor caretaker to facing the loss of a parent (even if they're still alive, but no longer “them”) to finding you didn't lose the other parent the way you thought to running into the wall of your dreams crashing down to dealing with racism each and every day. And what it's like to suffer massive holes in your memory because of all the hits to your head. The holes that can't be filled.
There were so many points in the book that made me cry, but I never wanted to stop reading.
Sean Crisden narrated the audiobook version of this book and he is absolutely outstanding at bringing John Vercher's words to life. I think this book is great either way as I did pick up the physical book at the library to see if my reaction was the same.
