Book Review #47: On Night’s Shore by Randall Silvis

Hello Dear Reader!

Sorry for such a long absence on this blog. The last few months of my undergrad has been rough, but I am happy to say that I have finally graduated! Now that I’m done with college, I’m hoping for more time to read and just update this website in general, because it’s long overdue. To start, I’ve got this book review just for you!

Today’s book review is on On Night’s Shore by Randall Silvis, a murder mystery book following the story of Edgar Allen Poe through the eyes of August, affectionately called Augie, Dubbins. These two make quite the pair, with Poe taking on the role of investigator and journalist while also acting as a guardian and father-figure of Augie.

But before I get into that, it’s important to note that the author has a little letter at the beginning of the book stating that he did have to sacrifice some historical accuracy for the sake of a more invigorating story, so not everything in this book is chronologically accurate in what is known about Poe’s life.

Now, here is the synopsis of On Night’s Shore (from Goodreads):

The year is 1840 and New York City is captivated by the mysterious murder of a beautiful shopgirl. The discovery of the body of Mary Rogers in the Hudson River prompts a young journalist, Edgar Allan Poe, to search for the truth behind an apparently motiveless crime. Joining him in his investigation is Augie Dubbins, an orphaned street urchin who becomes Poe's most trusted ally. Using intuition and rational thinking, Poe and Augie recreate the last days of the victim's secret life.

Narrated by the precocious Augie, the story swings wildly from the hidden depths of the Five Points slums to the glittering mansions of Fifth Avenue society. As Poe and his sidekick gather information, a sadistic killer threatens to destroy everything they've worked for. The clock is ticking, and Poe must solve the mystery or become a victim himself.

Synopsis over! On to the review!

The entire book is told as an account by a much older Augie Dubbins, as he seemingly tells the story from memory, trying to recount it from his then ten-year-old mind. Augie is a rather complex character, a child trying to make a living and survive in 1840 New York City selling papers, pick-pocketing, and avoiding paying for things by coming up with rather clever alternatives. He’s immediately presented as an intelligent, street-smart ten-year-old, more mature than a normal kid and able to read people and their emotions very well. Having the backstory he’s given for this story, it makes sense. Living a very rough childhood like his would cause any kid to mature early.

Surrounding Augie is, of course, Edgar Allen Poe, his wife Virginia, and Poe’s mother-in-law affectionately known as “Muddy”. These characters make a precious and wholesome little family that I absolutely fell in love with. Acting against these characters is an entire group of unsavory characters including a cold-blooded murderer, an abusive mother, and an unfaithful and heavily implied incestuous man who just so happens to live on one of the higher rungs of society. These characters along with a few more interesting minor ones make the complex murder mystery already filled with twists and turns more exciting!

The setting of this story really gave it more depth. Experiencing New York City in 1840 through Augie’s eyes was an entirely different experience. The sights, the smells, the overall general character of the city’s population itself was all very well descripted, sometimes overly descripted just given the more flowery writing style of adult August Dubbins. Silvis did a really good job transporting me through a previous time in history, weaving in all these descriptions in a way that felt like it truly belonged in the story.

There was really only one thing that poked at me while reading this book, and that was the highly advanced vocabulary used throughout the story. That coupled with the rather flowery language made it a difficult read at first, but after reading the first few chapters, I got used to it, and the story read like any normal book. I will say that I did read words I didn’t know existed. As a final note, there are a lot of things in this book that may make people uncomfortable. A few more noticeable ones are showings of murder and violence, domestic abuse, and drug and alcohol use. There is also mention of mental illness along with a couple instances of a racial slur being used, which would make sense in the time period but would not be acceptable nowadays. Not to mention heavily implied incest, since that is pretty tied to the actual murder mystery part of the story.

So, On Night’s Shore rating:

4/5 and recommend if you’re someone looking for a murder mystery coupled with a story following one of the world’s most renown writers. If you are interested in reading this book, do take the content warnings into account. While I did enjoy the book, there was a lot of dark content that not everyone is able to read through with little to no trouble, so it’s just something to keep in mind.

Thanks for reading!