Reviewed by True
TITLE: Left in the Dark
AUTHOR: Zev de Valera
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2021
LENGTH: 210 pages
BLURB:
Cal Restrepo, victim of a road rage automobile accident, emerges from unconsciousness into a world he does not recognize.
Under the care of the doctors at Wending Hills and the help of his friends and neighbors, Cal gradually recovers his memory and the full use of his body. Yet, so many of the memories do not fit what he feels is the “real” Cal.
Are his memories still clouded and unreliable, or was the Cal Restrepo who existed before the accident someone entirely different than the man who survived?
REVIEW:
We are joining Cal on his, extraordinarily journey where he’s recovering from a car accident. He lost his ex-lover with it, he’s injured physically and mentally, he’s got an, almost complete, amnesia. His friend Joshua brings him home now he’s free to go, after a recovery period in the sanatorium.
There are triggers for his memory, like Bruno, Cal’s dog, friends, neighbors, colleagues.
Cal doesn’t realize it yet, but he is missing significant parts of the last few months before his accident.
“I was suffering from amnesia yet had the strongest desire to forget.”
Cal gets help from Nurse Practitioner Marc Duguay to get back on his feet. Marc is funny and is honest about how he feels about Cal. The attraction is mutual.
Cal is a colorful personality, he’s an art teacher, he had a career as an award-winning costume designer.
He gets that the world isn’t what it is when you fill in the gaps yourself. Little by little he understands what happened before the accident. Not everyone is what he thought they were, including himself. Some vague memories are nudging suggesting there is more going on.
This was a solidly written story. I don’t want to zoom in on the details that could give spoilers but… believe me there are some shocking facts, I didn’t see them coming.
Cal and Marc are sweet together and the author managed even here a nice twist.
The secondary characters have an important spot in this narrative.
All the different aspects of Cal’s life are good entwined, unexpected, surprising, and a lot to digest.
Overall a captivating, entertaining story, a great experience, all intriguing AF.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Amnesia is a favourite trope of mine so definitely getting this one after the review!