This book follows Shorty, who wakes to find himself under a pile of rubble. The last thing he remembers is being in the hospital after he was shot in a gang war, and now he is lying among dead bodies after Haiti's huge earthquake of 2010, hoping someone will find him.

Some time in the past, the character Toussaint has joined a group of slaves in a voodoo ceremony to discover who will lead the slaves to freedom – he is shocked to find out it is himself!

When their spirits are connected through an ancient voodoo ritual, Shorty and Toussaint begin to inhabit each other's minds, and their stories unfold in alternating narratives. As Shorty remembers the details of his short life that brought him to the present day, and Toussaint's rebellion expands successfully across Haiti, it becomes clear that both are caught up in destinies over which they have little control.

Though often hard to take in because of the brutal violence at almost every turn, In Darkness is an absorbing and haunting story. The alternating settings of past and present keeps you involved, and Shorty and Toussaint are complex characters, making you believe they are real. Though Toussaint is an easy character to root for, Shorty is a much more complicated mixture of good and bad, and the way the author keeps his hope and sense of humour alive is amazing.

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