Anders is exiled with his Danish mother from post-war Europe to a small coastal town in Central California. His isolated mother, grieving the loss of her homeland and her German officer lover, retreats into a solitary life, unable to face the daunting task of raising a child she never planned on. Ander lives his youth adjusting to a life with an emotionally absent mother, surviving by sheer willpower born out of ingrained and unabated melancholy. An unknown benefactor provides income for them both.
Up Through the Darkness is written in scenes that alternate between Anders' youth and the present when he is sixty years old. Still living in the same small town, he achieves business success and wealth as a property developer. An accidental meeting with an old German rancher neighbor begins the unravelling of his prosperity. Secrets of his family's past come to light. The disinherited granddaughter of the woman from whom he purchases a large property, launches a vendetta against him to ruin him financially.
Small town government corruption, California wine, a supporting cast of dominant business women, a love affair with a European actress, and the gorgeous noirish setting of the coast all conspire to bring about Anders' downfall and lead him to an impulsive act of violence.
The novel is a story of a man who believes he controls his destiny but discovers he has been manipulated all the while by people from his mother's past. He realizes his entire life had been orchestrated by people he never knew existed. He grows up a boy without a family (his mother ends her life when he is young) only to discover a family that had been secretly hiding in plain sight.
Up Through the Darkness is predominantly about mood, character, setting, and the coming of age of an older melancholy man seeking to discover a purpose in his life. While trying to avoid the presence and influence of people, ultimately it's broken souls like himself who direct him toward recovery.
Some highlights of the book: Anders builds a Michelin two star restaurant that draws an exclusive clientele from San Francisco. A wrap party for his actress lover is an extravaganza worthy of a film scene. Anders, an avid cyclist departs on a road trip after his downfall, to parallel his journey towards spiritual recovery. A lover of literature, (he never owned a TV) he incorporates quotes from past and present literary works throughout the book, mixed in with his internal dialogue.
Up Through the Darkness centers on lyrical language, mood, and the main character's surprising path to self-discovery.
