After the Lights Go Out
by John Vercher
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Pub Date 1 Sep 2022 | Archive Date 28 Aug 2022
Pushkin Press | Pushkin Vertigo
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Description
How do you save yourself when you're the person you trust least of all?
Xavier "Scarecrow" Wallace is a biracial Black MMA fighter on the wrong side of thirty, who is facing the comeback fight of his life. He is also losing his battle with pugilistic dementia - a struggle he can no longer deny.
In the nursing home of his father, a white man suffering from end-stage Alzheimer's, Xavier witnesses shocking episodes that expose ugly truths about his past and his family.
And as the big fight draws near, a sparring session with a younger competitor goes horribly wrong, leaving Xavier faced with a dangerous dilemma: throw his match or suffer the deadly consequences.
After the Lights Go Out is a propulsive exploration of biracial identity, the price that athletes pay to entertain, and one man's battle to reconcile his past - even when he can't hold on to his present.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781782277545 |
| PRICE | £14.99 (GBP) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Alexander J, Reviewer
4/5 Very Good
John Vercher is a special talent. Last year’s ‘Three - Fifths’ was an extraordinary book. A crime Noir of the highest order.
This time around the story is again something of a Noir but it’s not crime. its a sports based noir. It’s the character driven story of Xavier ‘Scarecrow’ Wallace. A bi-racial MMA fighter at the end of his career.
The story is of Xavier’s battles not just with a career coming to and end, but with a dying father who he thought he knew, with failing health and to add to that he finds himself being asked to throw his final fight.
There is so much to this story. Xavier will pull you through a gamut of emotions as does the story.
It’s a slow, immersive read, whilst it’s not massive in length, it’s huge in story and Vercher is simply a superb author.
I haven’t gone to 5* as to be critical i found myself just a couple of times feeling the slow pace. But this is Immense and it’s highly recommended.
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