When a car accident plunges Damian, a young engineering student with an eerily accurate memory, into a coma, his awakening is marred by bizarre dreams and unsettling visions. A night of betrayal, a fatal taxi ride and an ominous figure in a rabbit costume blur the lines between reality and illusion. Can he navigate this mind-bending maze and make sense of his troubled conscience?
Sandra, a high school girl, has her world turned upside down when a minor mishap on the basketball court leads to a devastating diagnosis: terminal cancer. With only six months left to live, she decides to do it all on her own terms. Yet, an impulsive encounter with a stranger and her troubled father’s downward spiral cast a dark shadow over her brave new world.
Middle-aged Roman, an ex-alcoholic, finds solace in the anonymity of online chat rooms after a dreadful accident. An unexpected reunion, a budding friendship and a harrowing day at an amusement park drag him into a chilling adventure he never could've expected.
As their paths converge in a surreal world steeped in mystery and deception, can they face the truth or will they forever be lost down a rabbit hole?
When a car accident plunges Damian, a young engineering student with an eerily accurate memory, into a coma, his awakening is marred by bizarre dreams and unsettling visions. A night of betrayal, a fatal taxi ride and an ominous figure in a rabbit costume blur the lines between reality and illusion. Can he navigate this mind-bending maze and make sense of his troubled conscience?
Sandra, a high school girl, has her world turned upside down when a minor mishap on the basketball court leads to a devastating diagnosis: terminal cancer. With only six months left to live, she decides to do it all on her own terms. Yet, an impulsive encounter with a stranger and her troubled father’s downward spiral cast a dark shadow over her brave new world.
Middle-aged Roman, an ex-alcoholic, finds solace in the anonymity of online chat rooms after a dreadful accident. An unexpected reunion, a budding friendship and a harrowing day at an amusement park drag him into a chilling adventure he never could've expected.
As their paths converge in a surreal world steeped in mystery and deception, can they face the truth or will they forever be lost down a rabbit hole?
Saturday, March 22nd, 2014 – the day before something started going very badly wrong with my spookily photographic memory – began like any other ordinary day.
I got to the Polytechnic early, though the night before I had stayed up way too late playing around on my computer, making me yawn constantly during my seminars. I’d enrolled at the technical university back in the fall and already managed to sign up for extracurricular weekend courses, so I was pleased to have been able to scramble out of bed in time for lectures which turned out to be fascinating.
My weekend finally started at noon and I went to get my girlfriend Monika from the nearby School of Economics, where she was also attending some additional weekend college classes. Hers always ended just after mine and so I hung around the school entrance before we strolled back together to her apartment on Rakowiecka Street.
She looked stunning that day and the moment I spotted her in the crowd outside her college building my heart began beating faster. She normally left home without putting on mascara, lipstick or any other face paint, but that day her ear-to-ear smile was enhanced by truly eye-catching makeup. Her long, dark-blonde hair would normally be pinned up or bound with a headband, but today it was loosely flowing, and it seemed clear that the few strands of hair falling over her eyes were not there by accident.
Even though according to the calendar it was merely the first day of spring, the sky was cloudless and the sun beat down with real warmth, so I was not surprised to find Monika wearing a new dress. And what a dress it was! That was the first time I had seen her wearing it – a knee-length design which revealed her finely shaped calves, allowing me to revel in the sight of her. The dress was classic black, tightly fitting around the waistline, highlighting the sexy curves of Monika’s body. The neckline was low enough to force me to look around and check to see if any of her fellow male students were deserving of a smack in the face for staring at something which wasn’t theirs to ogle. The shoes she had picked out that day – a pair I hadn’t seen before, either – were the highlight of her outfit, being black, pointy designs on a low heel.
“What are you staring at, fool?” she asked, smiling seductively. “Take my hand, boy, and let’s go back to my place and celebrate.”
I did not need telling twice. She took my arm and we set off – she, a proper stunner, and me, a simple guy wearing faded jeans and an old baggy hoodie.
“And what is it we are supposed to be celebrating?” I asked.
“Nothing special,” she giggled. “I just wanted to give my man a surprise.”
She stopped for a second, cuddled up and gave me a delicate kiss. The brand new perfume she was wearing gently tickled my nostrils and made it blatantly clear that this day would be absolutely unlike any other.
* * *
Once we got to Monika’s apartment, she told me to shower straight away. At first, I was a little taken aback, but then it dawned on me what my beloved had planned for us to do that day, so I jumped into the bathroom without asking unnecessary questions.
As hot streams of water washed over my body, my head was raging with feverish thoughts about what was about to happen – the most attractive girl in the world was about to make a man of me, something I had been dreaming and fantasizing about since we became exclusive two long years ago. And yet I’d avoided breaching the subject of sex, somehow aware she wasn’t quite ready to take that step, having been raised in a decent, god-fearing Christian home.
Just as I began to doubt if my instincts were right and whether my dreams really were about to come true, I heard her voice coming from the other side of the bathroom door:
“You’ve not drowned in there, babe, have you?”
I lost my train of thought then and mumbled something about almost being done.
Once I was out of the bathroom, I realized Monika had drawn all the drapes and lit some candles. I felt a little stupid to be standing there, wearing nothing but a damp towel, watching as Monika, still wearing that super sexy black dress, sat down at the table and began pouring wine for us. I looked down at her feet and those wicked heels, feeling a wave of desire washing over me. In order to conceal something of an inconvenience beginning to rise up behind my towel, I slid into the chair next to hers and reached for a wine glass.
“Here’s to us, honey!” she said, smiling and sipping her wine. “You could have worn the robe I prepared for you, instead of parading about half naked, you know.”
I couldn’t quite believe how good she suddenly seemed to be at teasing and messing with my head. I could not quite recognize my own girlfriend. And yet, in spite of my growing confusion and sense of embarrassment, I was still becoming more and more aroused. Out of the corner of an eye I noticed that her bed, which was usually covered with a cream-brown blanket, was now uncovered, exposing brand new bedding decorated with a purple flower design.
“I’ll go back to the bathroom to get the robe, if you want,” I mumbled.
“No need for that,” she replied without hesitating.
Smiling seductively, she put her glass down, stood up and came close, then sat down in my lap. There was no way she would not be able to feel my erection – not something I was going to try to hide now. Suspecting this was precisely the effect she was after, I got up, lifting her in my arms, and walked over to lay her down on her bed. I then went back to get my glass an quickly sipped the whole content. The wine was red, dry, with a definite hint of blackcurrant flavor. I didn’t dwell on that for too long, however, for when I looked at my girlfriend once again, I certainly did not want to think at anything else. Having kicked off her high heels, she climbed under the sheets and gazed at me invitingly.
She would not have to wait long for me to join her there.
* * *
“Oh, dear god!” Those three words were enough to express what I’d been through over the last few hours. Heading home, I kept on repeating those words to myself, grinning from ear to ear.
“Watch out!” I heard someone shout, shaking me out of my reverie.
“What?!” I screamed back, utterly confused just as something very loud, very heavy and very, very hard slammed into me with immense force.
Shadows Over the Rabbit Hole is exciting from the start. It opens with the main character Damian reaching a new milestone with his adored girlfriend just before being hit by a car. Once out of his coma, he finds his photographic memory has evolved to the point where he remembers uncanny details about the hit-and-run but also about various events he can't account for. He tries to work out what happened, while his relationship takes a turn for the worst. The rest of the book comes from the perspective of different characters connected to Damian's story and subsequent events, culminating in acts of desperation and heroism.
The twists and intrigues are the narrative's winning features, including each character's emotional journey and Damian's incredible new abilities that lead to a thrilling ending. While the core plot is about what happened and why, Shadows Over the Rabbit Hole explores psychological themes more, such as rocky relationships and coping with serious illnesses.
One downside to this book is the writing style. Generally speaking, it's enjoyable and easy to read, but some descriptions are a bit awkward, and there's only so much you can chalk up to being lost in translation.
In terms of the characters, their lives and development are quite engaging. You can't help but feel for them in their hardships and triumphs. However, I can't say I like Damian very much. The male gaze is strong with him, which (to avoid spoilers) makes his surprise at certain possibilities funny, to say the least. But it's part of his flawed character among other troubled individuals making sense of their circumstances.
Unfortunately, the clunky writing style affects some of the dialogue too. Most of the time, the flow is okay, but now and then the phrasing becomes strange. Again, they could be speech patterns and attitudes that just don't translate well into English. Nevertheless, these moments affect the overall reading experience.
Despite some shortcomings, I did enjoy Shadows Over the Rabbit Hole. If you love strange and impactful tales like Donnie Darko, this book is worth diving into. It's a compelling weave of lives, people connected and affecting each other in unsuspecting - and sometimes extraordinary - ways.