The Other Side of Darkness

This book was recommended by my German sister to my American sister who recommended it to me! And it was on my wish list for a while because it got many awards, so I bought it before driving back to Canada after my visit to my American sister. I thought this 9-hour long book would be perfect for the long drive back. But I had to stop it after a couple of hours!

Don’t get me wrong, it was a fascinating and extremely well written book! But too dark, too sad for me. I don’t think I want to read depressing books anymore, EVER! I have read too much about racism, sexism, inter-generational trauma, poverty, violence, death, misery, cruelty, sadness, war, loneliness, etc. I know the world is a terrible place, I know all these things happen, and I don’t think I need to be reminded about it all the time. Maybe I do, to remember how lucky I am to have the life I have. Maybe it’s the only thing I can do, to read about it, since I can’t do anything about it…

This book tells the story of two men, a young man who builds tunnels under New York’s East River, and a young man, homeless, who lives in a subway tunnel. For most of the book, you don’t know how these two men are connected, but when you finally learn who they really are, it’s heartbreaking. You read about their lives, their happiness, their families, their sadness, their struggles, and their work, and finally, you learn about their terrible secrets. It’s a beautiful and tragic story at the same time.

The image I loved the most was the parallel between the one who built tunnels and the one who was not afraid of heights and built the tallest buildings. The descriptions of these two very dangerous jobs were breathtaking. I also loved the moment when Lisa is dancing like a crane and brings the old man back to the joy of being with his grandson.

As I said above, I was ready to stop listening this book after a couple of hours, but I really wanted to know what their secrets were and how they were connected. And there are a few amazing moments, very interesting moments, beautiful moments, happy moments, but the whole thing is a very real and sad look at the human condition.