David Gaffney ‘Out of the Dark’ Book Launch

A young man has rented a flat at the top of a high rise block in Birmingham where he watches the same video over and over again, an old British film noir called Out Of The Dark. This film holds some important information for him, something which will help him deal with his recent tragic events.  But what is he looking for in this corny black and white B flick?  Who is the mysterious woman who is bedridden after falling down the stairs? And why does a strange neighbour want to buy up all the garages on the street?

Out Of The Dark is an unsettling story of grief, obsession and duplicity told using a puzzle box of stories within stories that twist and turn at every opportunity. It is also about film noir itself and as the young man dissects the recurring motifs of his favourite film genre he reveals more about himself than he does about the movie.  The edges of the film and real life begin to blur. Is he being pulled into a similar whirlpool of deceit, corruption and violence?

Praise for Out Of The Dark

‘A twisted and darkly funny neo-noir that somehow channels the restless spirits of both David Lynch and Shane Meadows while remaining intensely literary. In Out Of The Dark David Gaffney has produced a book with real propulsive energy, one that produces surprises on nearly every page.’  Stephen May, Costa prize shortlisted author of Life! Death! Prizes!

‘ Out Of The Dark is an ingenious, idiosyncratic and unnerving noir, in which Ballard meets Jim Thomson meets Mike Leigh in a high rise block next to a motorway in the Black Country. ‘ Luke Brown, editor, critic, and author of novels My Biggest Lie and Theft.

About David

David Gaffney was born and brought up in Cleator Moor, west Cumbria and now lives in Manchester. He is the author of the novels Never Never (2008) and All The Places I’ve Ever Lived ( 2017) plus the flash fiction and short story collections Sawn-Off Tales (2006), Aromabingo (2007), The Half-Life of Songs (2010) and More Sawn-Off Tales (2013). He has written articles for The Guardian, Sunday Times, Financial Times and Prospect magazine, and was a judge for the Bridport Prize. His graphic novel with Dan Berry, The Three Rooms In Valerie’s Head, was published in 2018 on Top Shelf, and David and Dan’s latest graphic novel Rivers is out now, also on Top Shelf. David’s new novel, Out Of The Dark, is out in January 2022.

The Guardian said: ‘One hundred and fifty words by Gaffney are more worthwhile than novels by a good many others.’

Also at the event we are delighted to present Melissa Wan reading her story Art Decade, from an exciting upcoming book from Confingo called Waiting For The Gift – an anthology of short stories influenced by David Bowie’s seminal seventies album, Low.

See www.davidgaffney.org for more