The Lovely Dark

In this haunting and poignant novel, twelve-year-old Ellie and her best friend Justin must journey through the Underworld to find their way back to the world of the Living after her accidental death.

When twelve-year-old Eleanor Newton thinks she see her deceased grandmother, she misses her chance to speak with her one last time. Soon after, Ellie finds herself and her best friend Justin lost in the underworld. The pair are split up by the voices guiding their journey and Ellie arrives at Eventide House, a somewhat boarding school for children who have died.

The Underworld is beautiful, but Ellie is plagued by the feeling that something isn't right, leading her to search for a way back to her family in the world of the Living.

Matthew Fox's haunting and lyrical prose, exemplified in his debut The Sky Over Rebecca, guides readers through the complicated emotional landscape of grief and life after the pandemic with sincerity and a promise of hope.

Author: Matthew Fox
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Published: 04/21/2026
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781454965022
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2026
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2026
Booklist 04/01/2026

About the Author
Matthew Fox grew up in Wiltshire, UK and now lives in Stockholm. He studied Philosophy and Politics at Balliol College, University of Oxford and holds a Masters in Screenwriting from the Northern Film School. Fox's debut The Sky Over Rebecca received two starred reviews and was shortlisted for the Barnes & Noble Children's Book Award (2024). The Lovely Dark is his latest work.