Hey hey! I know, I know — this week was supposed to be about As Good As Dead, the much-anticipated finale in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder trilogy. Trust me, I was just as excited to finish the set. But life, as always, had other plans: exam prep, work stress, a pesky flu, and basically the entire plot of a chaos novel crammed into my schedule. I’m only about four chapters in (I know, I know…), but I’m still challenging myself to finish it by next week. No promises, though — fingers crossed!
So, for review number 12, I decided to shift gears and revisit a classic that has stayed with me since my undergrad days: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. A book I never would've picked up on my own, but one I’m genuinely grateful to have encountered through my literature course.
A Journey Inward: The Darkness We Don’t Talk About
Heart of Darkness isn’t your typical adventure story. On the surface, it’s about Marlow, a sailor who journeys up the Congo River to find Kurtz, an ivory trader who has "gone native" deep in the African wilderness. But once you start peeling the layers, you realize it’s not just about colonialism or exploration. It’s a deep, unsettling look at what lies within us all when the masks of society are stripped away.
Told as a story within a story (Marlow narrating to fellow seamen aboard a boat on the Thames), the book creates this echo chamber effect — you’re never quite sure what version of the truth you’re being handed. And maybe that’s the point.
The Real Darkness
What hit me hardest during my re-read (this time for my second-semester exams!) was the terrifying clarity with which Conrad portrays the human psyche. It made me reflect on how civilization is just a thin layer of order that can crack under pressure. Kurtz, who was once seen as a genius and a beacon of European ideals, ends up consumed by power and brutality when left unchecked.
"The horror! The horror!" — these iconic last words are more than just dramatic flair. They are a terrifying mirror to the chaos that brews beneath restraint, to the sheer vulnerability of human morality in the face of unfiltered desire.
There is this creeping suggestion that everyone carries the seeds of destruction within them — a "heart of darkness" that flourishes in the absence of societal boundaries. The book doesn’t offer comfort or clarity. Instead, it asks questions that sit with you, long after you've read the final page.
Why It Still Matters
Would I recommend this book to someone casually looking for a cozy weekend read? Probably not. But if you want to dive into something that challenges you, makes you uncomfortable (in the best way), and makes you think about history, power, and your own inner compass — then yes, absolutely.
Heart of Darkness is brief but heavy. It’s a book that forces you to pause. To consider. To question. And sometimes, that’s the best kind of reading.
So, that’s review number 12! Slightly unexpected, deeply introspective, and 100% worth it.
Let me know — have you read Heart of Darkness? Did it leave you spiraling too? Or are you planning to pick it up now? Let’s chat in the comments!
And yes, As Good As Dead is still on the table for next week — I’m not backing out just yet! Stay tuned for (hopefully!) the trilogy finale review!
Until next Friday ✨
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