Accustomed to the Dark received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Thomas DeConna.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Accustomed to the Dark, November 2023
What’s the book’s first line?
It was the break I needed.
What’s the book about?
Accustomed to the Dark is an allegory, a social commentary wrapped inside a coming-of-age story. In the year 1963, as the main character, AJ, is on the verge of fundamental change, the United States is also on the verge of turbulent shifts.
What inspired you to write the book?
Today, our country is divided in a number of ways, and some people look to the early 1960s as a Golden Age; however, during that time individual lives faced varying degrees of darkness, too. Many problems that existed then still exist today. As a society, we might ask: How much progress have we made?
What’s the main reason someone should read this book?
A reader will recognize how situations, emotions, and prejudices repeat. Society seems to be caught in a continuous loop. It is up to each of us to find ways to alter the negative cycles.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character?
The main character’s confusion separates him from most protagonists. He should—but does not—realize that his books provide hope, and they show how things ought to be. They provide on ideal to which we as a society should strive.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
Ralph Ellison.