The title captures the feel of the stories very well. This is meant to be a book full of darkness, with no light shining down. One story belies the title – there are glimpses of stars – but by this point the light is small and distant, perhaps seen only because the stars have gone nova. The bonus story puts out what light remains pretty effectively.
He also writes in the afterward that "people in these stories are not without hope.” He follows this with the caveat that “our fondest hopes…may sometimes be in vain. Often, even.” In spite of the evil in most of his characters, he believes “most people are essentially good. I know that I am.” This seems promising, as he also writes that “the writer’s only responsibility is to look for the truth inside his own heart.” If King is essentially good, and his stories come from the truth inside his heart, literary magic should follow.
And in some ways it does. I suspect he writes so bleakly about evil because the goodness within him is appalled by the badness around him. It does seem incongruous, however, that while most of us are apparently essentially good, King’s literary worlds in this book are inhabited by people who are essentially not good at all. This review of Full Dark will contrast King’s claims of hope, goodness and truth with the focus of his fiction. I will try not to give away the plots as I offer some comments.
