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Falling Through Darkness
When the story goes around that Aidan died in a car accident, only Ginny, the only passenger in the vehicle, knows the truth about what really happened to her danger-seeking boyfriend and now must find a way to cope with the guilt, loss, and depression that has come as a result of the untimely passing of her one true love.
151 pages, Hardcover
First published September 12, 2003
About the author
Carolyn MacCullough
13 books689 followersCarolyn MacCullough received her MFA in creative writing from the New School and lives with her husband in Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 2, 2018
Seventeen-year-old Ginny's life feels like a waking dream. Or maybe a nightmare. It all seemed so different when Aidan first came crashing into her life.
Beautiful, vivid, reckless Aidan is nothing like Ginny--a quiet, good girl more comfortable blending in than standing out. But Aidan makes Ginny different. He makes her want more. Makes her feel more. In the end, he makes her feel too much.
There was a crash. Something everyone else is calling an accident. Aidan is gone. But Ginny is left behind to piece together the shattered moments of her life with, and now without, him in Falling Through Darkness (2003) by Carolyn MacCullough.
Falling Through Darkness is MacCullough's haunting first novel. This is a story about depression and falling apart, but it is also a story about grieving and acceptance. Ginny would be perfectly happy to stay in this fugue state, sleepwalking through life. That is until a new tenant moves in forcing Ginny to confront all the things she knows about Aidan, and the accident, but never wanted to admit to anyone--especially herself.
Ginny's depression after the accident is palpable in MacCullough's writing. Equally compelling are her portrayals of Aidan's frenetic energy. Even when Ginny falls into his dangerous habits it's easy to understand how she would be sucked into his jet stream. The story shifts seamlessly between Ginny's present and memories of meeting Aidan and their subsequent, whirlwind, relationship with writing that is evocative and beautiful.
Possible Pairings: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta, A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell, My Private Nation (album and single) by Train
You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print
Beautiful, vivid, reckless Aidan is nothing like Ginny--a quiet, good girl more comfortable blending in than standing out. But Aidan makes Ginny different. He makes her want more. Makes her feel more. In the end, he makes her feel too much.
There was a crash. Something everyone else is calling an accident. Aidan is gone. But Ginny is left behind to piece together the shattered moments of her life with, and now without, him in Falling Through Darkness (2003) by Carolyn MacCullough.
Falling Through Darkness is MacCullough's haunting first novel. This is a story about depression and falling apart, but it is also a story about grieving and acceptance. Ginny would be perfectly happy to stay in this fugue state, sleepwalking through life. That is until a new tenant moves in forcing Ginny to confront all the things she knows about Aidan, and the accident, but never wanted to admit to anyone--especially herself.
Ginny's depression after the accident is palpable in MacCullough's writing. Equally compelling are her portrayals of Aidan's frenetic energy. Even when Ginny falls into his dangerous habits it's easy to understand how she would be sucked into his jet stream. The story shifts seamlessly between Ginny's present and memories of meeting Aidan and their subsequent, whirlwind, relationship with writing that is evocative and beautiful.
Possible Pairings: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta, A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell, My Private Nation (album and single) by Train
You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print
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August 5, 2011i swear when i was reading this it felt like i was reading my cousins life. i found the reality of it so effective, like i could see myself at that point one day.
October 9, 2020
Eh. It was ok.
Good girl meets/falls in love with bad/troubled boy (cliché, also, when does this ever happen in real life? Seriously?). There's an "accident" and boy dies, leaving good girl depressed/angry/numb. A new tenant moves in, one with his own tale of sorrow (that we only get bits and pieces of--shame, really) who helps her deal with her grief, and staves of her advances.
Some writers could say a lot in what they don't say. That may be what was intended here, but it kind of falls flat.
Good girl meets/falls in love with bad/troubled boy (cliché, also, when does this ever happen in real life? Seriously?). There's an "accident" and boy dies, leaving good girl depressed/angry/numb. A new tenant moves in, one with his own tale of sorrow (that we only get bits and pieces of--shame, really) who helps her deal with her grief, and staves of her advances.
Some writers could say a lot in what they don't say. That may be what was intended here, but it kind of falls flat.
March 5, 2023
I think abuse within teen relationships is incredibly important to talk about so props to books that do that. This one just felt incredibly rushed, we never really got a sense of who either of the two characters within that relationship really were. The book itself was full of typos and printing errors that were sort of annoying. A quick book with an important topic but not one I'd recommend.
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January 31, 2014Book Review
Falling Through Darkness by Carolyn MacCullough, is a well written story about getting past the death of a loved one, full of flashbacks and mysteries. MacCullough keeps the reader guessing at what could happen next and gives each character life, she also gives the reader a very vivid image of what the characters feel and see. Overall this book should be read by a reader who is interested in mystery and who also enjoys expanding their imagination through her very vivid imagery.
McCullough's main character is Ginny, a girl who believes that not feeling anything is better than feeling something. After that night, the night where they first met he intrigued her they knew that from that point on their fates would be intertwined with one another, that is up until the accident. Ginny could never forgive herself she could never forget Adian, she’s been living in a world full of guilt, lost between the past and the present, she’s pushed everyone away creating a world of her own full of isolation and silence. That is until the new tenant Caleb moves in and slowly with the help of Caleb she confronts the reality of herself and Adian.
What McCullough is trying to express through her main character Ginny is that in order to move on one must overcome the pass and look forward to the future. She shows the reader this by having Ginny cross the bridge where the accident took place and Ginny can finally forgive herself as well as Adian. “Why wasn’t I enough for you? why wasn’t anything enough for you? If I could turn the car around at the last second, why didn’t you?”(page 150). An example of the vivid imagery is when McCullough shows Aidan protecting Ginny from another boy who tries to get to Ginny; “He is standing and he has wrapped one long hand around Bill’s throat. They do a half turn, gracefully, like partners in a waltz, and presses Bill into the stone wall.”(page 28). McCullough does a great job in this quote because she uses a simile to describe to the reader what exactly is going on and how to imagine it.
Falling Through Darkness has a great usage of imagery and similes, the book also has a nice hint of mystery which wants to keep the reader reading more so they can find out what happens next. The only down fall that I have for this book is the transition sometimes it would seem unclear as to when the the characters would have a flashback or would jump to something else. Overall McCullough did a really good job at writing this book using all that she could to keep the reader intrigued, and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers.
Falling Through Darkness by Carolyn MacCullough, is a well written story about getting past the death of a loved one, full of flashbacks and mysteries. MacCullough keeps the reader guessing at what could happen next and gives each character life, she also gives the reader a very vivid image of what the characters feel and see. Overall this book should be read by a reader who is interested in mystery and who also enjoys expanding their imagination through her very vivid imagery.
McCullough's main character is Ginny, a girl who believes that not feeling anything is better than feeling something. After that night, the night where they first met he intrigued her they knew that from that point on their fates would be intertwined with one another, that is up until the accident. Ginny could never forgive herself she could never forget Adian, she’s been living in a world full of guilt, lost between the past and the present, she’s pushed everyone away creating a world of her own full of isolation and silence. That is until the new tenant Caleb moves in and slowly with the help of Caleb she confronts the reality of herself and Adian.
What McCullough is trying to express through her main character Ginny is that in order to move on one must overcome the pass and look forward to the future. She shows the reader this by having Ginny cross the bridge where the accident took place and Ginny can finally forgive herself as well as Adian. “Why wasn’t I enough for you? why wasn’t anything enough for you? If I could turn the car around at the last second, why didn’t you?”(page 150). An example of the vivid imagery is when McCullough shows Aidan protecting Ginny from another boy who tries to get to Ginny; “He is standing and he has wrapped one long hand around Bill’s throat. They do a half turn, gracefully, like partners in a waltz, and presses Bill into the stone wall.”(page 28). McCullough does a great job in this quote because she uses a simile to describe to the reader what exactly is going on and how to imagine it.
Falling Through Darkness has a great usage of imagery and similes, the book also has a nice hint of mystery which wants to keep the reader reading more so they can find out what happens next. The only down fall that I have for this book is the transition sometimes it would seem unclear as to when the the characters would have a flashback or would jump to something else. Overall McCullough did a really good job at writing this book using all that she could to keep the reader intrigued, and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2011
There isn't very much to say about Falling Through Darkness. It's a short and quick read with quite simple writing.
Falling Through Darkness tells the story of seventeen year old Ginny who has lost her boyfriend Aidan and is now trying to cope with his death.
The book is told in a third person narrator and it's set in the now while we get flashbacks of Ginny's time with Aidan.
It didn't really manage to make me feel anything for the characters since it all felt underdeveloped and the characters fell flat. I think the book would have worked better if would have been told from Ginny's perspective as a first-person narrator and not as a third-person narrator. I felt too detached from her when I was supposed to feel for her, to feel her pain. I didn't.
Even though the book was about Ginny I wish the book would have depicted Aidan's obvious depression more. It was developed too little, too little was shown to really make the reader understand.
The glimpses I got of Aidan's behaviour presented his depression but I never really got a sense of how Aidan was like. It gives me the impression that I wasn't supposed to like him, to not feel sorry for him. He needed help but no one realized he did since he was a good actor. I'm not blaming any of the characters for not noticing but it's sad.
Overall Falling Through Darkness should have been longer and developed more, especially considering the topics it covered.
It was interesting to read Carolyn MacCullough's first book after having read her book Once a Witch before. Definitely a different topic.
Falling Through Darkness tells the story of seventeen year old Ginny who has lost her boyfriend Aidan and is now trying to cope with his death.
The book is told in a third person narrator and it's set in the now while we get flashbacks of Ginny's time with Aidan.
It didn't really manage to make me feel anything for the characters since it all felt underdeveloped and the characters fell flat. I think the book would have worked better if would have been told from Ginny's perspective as a first-person narrator and not as a third-person narrator. I felt too detached from her when I was supposed to feel for her, to feel her pain. I didn't.
Even though the book was about Ginny I wish the book would have depicted Aidan's obvious depression more. It was developed too little, too little was shown to really make the reader understand.
The glimpses I got of Aidan's behaviour presented his depression but I never really got a sense of how Aidan was like. It gives me the impression that I wasn't supposed to like him, to not feel sorry for him. He needed help but no one realized he did since he was a good actor. I'm not blaming any of the characters for not noticing but it's sad.
Overall Falling Through Darkness should have been longer and developed more, especially considering the topics it covered.
It was interesting to read Carolyn MacCullough's first book after having read her book Once a Witch before. Definitely a different topic.
June 18, 2011
When you first start to read this book you aren't quite sure what is going on, but slowly the story becomes clear. Ginny is mourning her boyfriend and having a hard time moving forward in her life.
You can see why Ginny was so attracted to Aidan, he is a charismatic guy, but he has some of his own issues. It is only as we get to know him you get a handle on his problems. In a moment of weakness Ginny breaks down and spills just what happened that night and you understand the problems that Ginny is having. I found it interesting that Ginny was able to find a kindred soul in Caleb, how was suffering from his own loss. Their sorrow binds them together where there was the possibility of the relationship moving to inappropriate area. I was glad that Caleb was able to see this and deal with it. In the end Ginny has to face her all of her demons on her own to really start to get past this and she does this in a way that makes sense to her.
You can see why Ginny was so attracted to Aidan, he is a charismatic guy, but he has some of his own issues. It is only as we get to know him you get a handle on his problems. In a moment of weakness Ginny breaks down and spills just what happened that night and you understand the problems that Ginny is having. I found it interesting that Ginny was able to find a kindred soul in Caleb, how was suffering from his own loss. Their sorrow binds them together where there was the possibility of the relationship moving to inappropriate area. I was glad that Caleb was able to see this and deal with it. In the end Ginny has to face her all of her demons on her own to really start to get past this and she does this in a way that makes sense to her.
January 28, 2009
Ginny is the main character in this story who has to deal with the aftermath of a horrible accident involving her and her lost boyfriend, Aidan. Everyone thinks Ginny's grieving from losing Aidan, but what Ginny knows about what happened that night is what's really tearing her apart. Pulled between love and loss, Ginny must find a way to come to terms with what happened that night and the boy who loved her so desperately.
MacCullough skillfully blends together elements of tortured romance, harsh real life situations, comedic timing, and a coming of age story in such a poetic way that I felt compelled to keep reading.
MacCullough skillfully blends together elements of tortured romance, harsh real life situations, comedic timing, and a coming of age story in such a poetic way that I felt compelled to keep reading.
February 11, 2009
TEEN LIT
I read this with a purpose: to consider for a book project I'm working on. This is a good book, and I probably only gave it a three due to the lenses in which I was reading it. Good girl meets bad boy. Bad boy ends up dying due to intentional reckless driving...suicide. Girl survives the crash, and the book is about her recovery. Would recommend to teens who are dealing with peer pressure or who like books where the teens are dealing with emotional issues. Note to self: girl starts to fall for adult, 40 something year old man. Gross.
I read this with a purpose: to consider for a book project I'm working on. This is a good book, and I probably only gave it a three due to the lenses in which I was reading it. Good girl meets bad boy. Bad boy ends up dying due to intentional reckless driving...suicide. Girl survives the crash, and the book is about her recovery. Would recommend to teens who are dealing with peer pressure or who like books where the teens are dealing with emotional issues. Note to self: girl starts to fall for adult, 40 something year old man. Gross.
September 14, 2011
A teen girl copes with the apparent suicide of her daredevil boyfriend. Not much to be optimistic about in this novel until the last couple pages. Every teen character is portrayed as living life for the moment, no plans for the future, smoking/drinking/partying/hooking up/peer pressure. Yet all the adults seem overly wise, waiting to help, if she would just open up to them. I liked the sorting of thought that is brought about through some chapters being past, some present, but I couldn't connect with any of these characters so it didn't click well with me.
September 22, 2022
#83
Borrowed from library.
FS: "Ginny slides her hands between her mattress and the box spring as soon as she hears the front door closed behind her father, and extracts a crumpled pack of Marlboros."
LS:
Borrowed from library.
FS: "Ginny slides her hands between her mattress and the box spring as soon as she hears the front door closed behind her father, and extracts a crumpled pack of Marlboros."
LS:
October 1, 2015
The main character Ginny's emotions seem to change quickly. Characters in books usually change overtime, but Ginny's feels too rushed. The ending was too dramatic for my liking. Other than a few little details, it was a good read.
October 20, 2009
Review to follow
June 3, 2013
Short but great read. At first you don't quite understand but once you finish the book you're left thinking.
January 6, 2016
It was a good book but the ending was very...meh.
December 16, 2015
The book "Falling through darkness" by Carolyn Maccullough was a good book because it was about a girl name Ginny and how she was lost in her own feelings
December 17, 2015
This is one of my Favorites. Its not for everyone though. I recommend Re-reading this novel. you will end up falling in love with Ginny (who has a hard time conveying her emotions).
April 19, 2017
Book Report
Ginny is a depressed teenager, but the only reason she is depressed is because of her ex-boyfriend Aidan messed up her mind. Ginny wants to forget about her ex , and everything he has made her do, but she can’t. Ginny keeps having flashbacks of him and there is nothing she can do about it except find someone new to love.
Ginny is having problems finding someone they either turn out to be annoying or just plain rude ,but a new tenant moves to the apartment complex. Could he be the guy that she can love to change her ways or to forget Aidan and what he has done to her.
It’s hard for Ginny to love someone new when she can’t stop having flashbacks of her dead ex-boyfriend and she doesn’t want to tell anyone about the flashbacks ,because they will all think she is crazy and send her away to a mental asylum.
I can relate to Ginny ,because I am a troubled teenager and have a hard time making decisions on my own ,and I talk back to my parents like she does the only difference between me and Ginny is that her parents are divorced and mine are still married.
I would recommend this book to teenagers who are going through a hard time or have problems doing things independently or on their own. The author did a good job on giving me a visual of Ginny in my mind.The author did not give me a surname or a description of Ginny ,so i do not know if my visualization is correct.
Ginny is a depressed teenager, but the only reason she is depressed is because of her ex-boyfriend Aidan messed up her mind. Ginny wants to forget about her ex , and everything he has made her do, but she can’t. Ginny keeps having flashbacks of him and there is nothing she can do about it except find someone new to love.
Ginny is having problems finding someone they either turn out to be annoying or just plain rude ,but a new tenant moves to the apartment complex. Could he be the guy that she can love to change her ways or to forget Aidan and what he has done to her.
It’s hard for Ginny to love someone new when she can’t stop having flashbacks of her dead ex-boyfriend and she doesn’t want to tell anyone about the flashbacks ,because they will all think she is crazy and send her away to a mental asylum.
I can relate to Ginny ,because I am a troubled teenager and have a hard time making decisions on my own ,and I talk back to my parents like she does the only difference between me and Ginny is that her parents are divorced and mine are still married.
I would recommend this book to teenagers who are going through a hard time or have problems doing things independently or on their own. The author did a good job on giving me a visual of Ginny in my mind.The author did not give me a surname or a description of Ginny ,so i do not know if my visualization is correct.
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