Date: June 10, 2025
Author: Alexis Soloski
Title: Here In The Dark
I was thoroughly engrossed in the story from the start. Mz. Soleski’s approach to the topics of mental health and substance abuse that her character, Vivian, was prone to, was discussed under a very realistic light. Vivian’s biggest addiction seemed to be escapism, which she found in heavy doses as a play critic. Always when the lights lowered and the curtains rose she could feel the tug away from her life as any good addict does.
Apparently, Vivian would, at the play’s finale, head home to find her next escape which was located at the bottom of a vodka bottle mixed with a rainbow’s array of any pills she could get her hands on.
There was a scene in which Vivian was remembering her childhood and the time she spent on a mental health ward with a diagnosis of depersonalization disorder. This means she experienced the un-fun side affects of feeling a disconnection with one’s own self, surroundings, or both.
I believe Mz. Soleski captured beautifully how awful living with this disorder must have been. The need to connect with others so strong it led Vivian down a dangerous road of risky sex, pills, booze and diving undercover into a world of missing men and jilted brides. Would Vivian be able to find her way out before the final curtain falls on her own life?
They say all the world’s a stage…