About "The Face of Twilight"

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Mark. Thanks for TFOT. I very much enjoyed it and read it with gusto.

You have a dreamy quality that is mixed with a desolation and isolation. The protagonist is such a hopeless drunk and you really made me get into that mindset, like I could really understand how he could drink so much, given the hopelessness of his situation. While you're reading the early part you're thinking "He's NEVER going to write that novel!"

As the book started to twist and turn I sometimes had a hard time understanding what was going on. I'm planning on going back for another read. There is one key issue that really hung me up at the end and I'd love to bounce it off you.

I have TOTAL respect if you don't want to go into the aspects of your book with me. I know of authors and songwriters that don't discuss their work once it's done, but if you could enlighten me it would make my second reading of the book much more resonant.

*************************SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!****** *******************************************

At the end it's revealed that Ivan is Stymm. I had an idea that Ivan was the one who killed Kate and Melissa, but the switcheroo of making him be Stymm was certainly surprising but it left me wondering if I'd missed something. I'm theorizing that when Gilman was hit by the car that he died but I don't get the switch with Stymm. Was he ALWAYS Stymm? Since the time he met him in the beginning of the book?

Anyway - I apologize if I sound like a dumkopf. I'm going to give the book another go around and see if any of the parts fit. Any illumination you could offer would be greatly appreciated, but again, I will respect if you don't want to share that with me.

TRULY ENJOYED THE BOOK! Excellent Job. I'm hoping your latest story collection will be published so I can read it. If you have any clues about that I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.

alec...

[yellowish haze]

For those who have read the novella or are still planning to do so here is a site which features photos of locations from the book:

Locations in Mark Samuels In the Face of Twilight

Many of these places are very close to how I saw them in my mind's eye while reading "The Face of Twilight". Really cool to see how they look like in reality.