Author: Ana Alcolea
- Children/Young
- Anaya Infantil y Juvenil
- ISBN: 9788467841374
- Release Date: 02-19-2013
-Reviewed by: Angélica Cofre
Valeria, a fifteen year old girl of Chinese origin lives with her mother Mercedes in Zaragoza, Spain. Mercedes is a busy single parent, who works as a therapist in a hospital. Valeria was adopted when she was two, and has no memory of her birthmother. She suffers from hydrophobia which her mother tries to cure her from by enrolling her in swimming classes from an early age. Other than this Valeria seems to be a well adapted and loved child.
Mercedes likes to arrange for unusual vacations and surprise Valeria. As a gift for the 15th birthday she gives Valeria a trip to an abandoned lighthouse of the coast of Norway. The action moves quickly to Norway, to the lighthouse, where we are introduced to its caretakers, Lars Nielsen and his 17 year old son William, who descend from a lineage of lighthouse keeper. They live in a house in the coast across from the lighthouse. Lars father and grandfather were the last lighthouse keepers to live in it. William’s mother died after a long illness a year ago and they seem to lead a solitary life. Mercedes and Valeria’s stay gives them an opportunity to be more social. They eat dinners together and Valeria and William develop an attraction for each other.
In her dreams Valeria meets an old man, who introduces himself as Erland Nielsen, Williams’s grandfather. He had been a sailor and traveled to China before he settled down in Kjeungskjaer as its lighthouse keeper. He also acknowledges he is a ghost. There are eight chapters in the book dedicated to Valeria’s dreams and the development of a second plot that runs parallel to her and her mother’s stay at the lighthouse.
In these dreams Erland Nielsen narrates the story of a Russian aristocrat, Lieutenant Nicolai Dubrowski taken prisoner by the German Army in 1941. Dubrowski, together with other 195 prisoners were taken to Norway to build an airport which would help the Nazis with the occupation of Great Britain. In successive nights Erland will tell the story of Dubrowski and his involvement with him when he substituted his uncle as a photographer in a Nazi project. Dubrowksi manages to pass a message to Erland in which he asks for help in communicating with the Russian army. Erland, together with his father and the local doctor build a radio. The Russian army sends a message and a rescuing plan is put in place. They succeed in hiding Lieutenant Dubrowski and he escapes. Dr. Carlsen is found out and executed. Erland and his father hide the radio so that it is not incriminating evidence.
Valeria and Lars who are romantically involved at this point find the radio, following the directions Erland gives Valeria in a dream. The title of the novel The Darkest Night corresponds with that of the radio message Dr. Carlsen sent to the Russians. Valeria understands that her aversion to water started when her birthmother drowned while trying to escape from China. The end of the novel coincides with the end Valeria’s and Mercedes vacation and their return home.
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