Jenna Kostet: Pitch Black, Dark as Coal

Pitch Black, Dark as Coal is a hauntingly beautiful novel that shifts between the years 2015 and 1942, weaving together past and present with an air of mystery. At its heart lies a family secret that stretches across three generations, shaping the lives of its women.

The story explores solitude, independence, and the often difficult challenges of love through the experiences of strong yet vulnerable female protagonists. Set against the backdrop of forests and wolf myths, the novel feels at once modern and mythic, grounded in raw human emotion while tinged with timeless folklore.

Told through two alternating narrators—one an unreliable voice in the first person and present tense, the other a third-person account in the past tense—the novel creates a layered, immersive reading experience. The interplay of these voices deepens the sense of mystery and tension, drawing the reader into a world where silence, shadows, and secrets carry as much weight as words.