using creep in

[alpacinou]

Hello.

Have I used "creep in" correctly and naturally?

What do you think about what I have written.

At the hospital, he was too dumbfounded to realize she actually had died. He looked at her toothbrush when he was back home and the reality of her death began to creep in. A black tide of grief slowly swept through him until he was paralyzed with it.

Can I also use "sink in" instead of "creep in"?

 

[Tarheel]

Yes. (It's quite good.)

Perhaps:

He had never felt more alone.

 

[emsr2d2]

"sink in" would be the natural choice for most native speakers. We might also say that the reality really "began to dawn on him".

 

[Tarheel]

"sink in" would be the natural choice for most native speakers. We might also say that the reality really "began to dawn on him".

Yes. That's good too.