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Review: The Night Ocean

chris-marcatili


"History was an empty corridor that led to other, equally empty corridors; the only sound in it was the echo of his own footsteps" (p. 169).

Written by Paul La Farge, The Night Ocean is an intriguing novel that delves into the mysterious and often bizarre life of H.P. Lovecraft, one of the most influential writers in the horror genre. The story follows Marina, whose husband, Charlie, becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind Lovecraft's life and an obscure diary purportedly written by the reclusive author. This diary suggests a scandalous and transformative relationship between Lovecraft and a young fan, Robert Barlow, hinting at secrets that have long been buried. As Charlie’s investigation deepens, he vanishes, leaving Marina to pick up the pieces and navigate a labyrinth of historical intrigue, literary mystery, and personal heartbreak.


This book is an excellent blend of fact and fiction, weaving a narrative that spans decades and touches on themes of obsession, identity, and the nature of truth. But describing this as a book about Lovecraft is perhaps a misleading hook. This is no Lovecraftian horror, nor anything close to biography. The book is actually mostly about two other men that were connected to Lovecraft. The first, Robert Barlow, was 17 years old when he invited Lovecraft to stay with him and his family for a couple of months, when Lovecraft was already well-known and much older. The second, LC Spinks, is tied up in Barlow's life in some unexpected ways.


More than the lives of these two men, it's a book about truth and falsehood, hoaxes, about forbidden acts of love (particularly homosexuality), about loneliness, race, obsession, and the unspoken power of books.


Told from the perspective of Marina, whose husband, Charlie, has gone missing after writing his own book about Barlow and Spinks, this book is like a series of nesting dolls, each of them stories about stories, and stories about lives that may or may not be true. The outer layer – the plot about Marina and Charlie – is mostly a device to deliver the other stories. There are long passages of interview transcripts, book and note quotations, and POV shifts as people tell their own stories. It's less about plot and more about exploring the lives of these men – but also exploring the world of science fiction and fandom from the 1930s to the 1950s. Asimov and particularly William S Burroughs feature as side characters, as do other lesser-known authors, publishers, and others. At times this feels indulgent, and with so many stories, so many perspectives, and so many lies, it can be a bit difficult to keep track.


But the layers extend beyond the written page. La Farge himself can point to a history that intersects with Lovecraft. In one letter between the real Lovecraft and the real Barlowe, Lovecraft mentions 'the La Farge brothers' – Christopher and Oliver – Paul's great grandfather and great grand uncle respectively and each their own successful novelist.


But getting lost in the swirl of these tales is part of the book's intrigue. It's hard to know what to make of it, except to say that La Farge explores a series of mysteries that invite us to project all sorts of assumptions and fantasies while never allowing the reader to resolve the unknown. In that sense, it turns out to be Lovecraftian after all.


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Christopher lives on the unceded lands of the Ngunnawal & Ngambri peoples (Canberra, Australia) and pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging.  

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