Garth Stein

From the author of the million-copy bestselling The Art of Racing in the Raincomes the breathtaking and long-awaited new novel. This novel centres on four generations of a once terribly wealthy and influential timber family who have fallen from grace; a mysterious yet majestic mansion, crumbling slowy into the bluff overlooking Puget Sound in Seattle; a love affair so powerful it reaches across the planes of existence; and a young man who simply wants his parents to once again experience the moment they fell in love, hoping that if can feel that emotion again, maybe they won't get divorced after all.

A Sudden Light

Moira

Mary Rose Luksha

I actually liked this book better than The Art of Racing in the Rain. I think I was more invested in the plot - a creepy old haunted house, a weirdo family, and a beautiful setting.

I agree with the criticisms of being narrated by a fourteen year old; firstly that many times I thought "a fourteen year old doesn't talk like that," and secondly that his narrative sometimes made the story move along slowly. I think Stein tried to cover the first criticism by mentioning that the narrator was "gifted" in school and was given all those tests at school to move him ahead, though he opted not to. And as for the second part, while I do agree with it, I understand why Stein wrote it that way - because if he changed the narration to another character it would have taken away some of the mystery. I think he wanted the narrator to be young because in family dramas there is a lot going on behind the scenes that adolescents can't always grasp which helps keep the mystery alive.

My only other main criticism is the dialogue, especially Serena's, seemed very unnatural. She would have these long diatribes that didn't always feel organic.

But, in spite of listing my criticisms first, I gave A Sudden Light 4 stars because I thought it was a good mystery. I needed to read to the end to find out what happened. I liked the twists and turns, and I think he paced it well (albeit a little slow in some places). The house itself seemed to be a character and I thought that took a lot of imagination and he wrote it very well. I also thought it was a beautiful love letter to the Pacific Northwest. I could tell Stein really loves that area.

Peggy Walker

Cindy Lieberman

Molly Witt

Rina

The breathtaking and long-awaited new novel from the author of 'the fable with a heart'. This novel centres on four generations of a once terribly wealthy and influential timber family who have fallen from grace; a mysterious yet majestic mansion, crumbling slowy into the bluff overlooking Puget Sound in Seattle; a love affair so powerful it reaches across the planes of existence; and a young man who simply wants his parents to once again experience the moment they fell in love, hoping that if can feel that emotion again, maybe they won't get divorced after all.

A Sudden Light

Reviews

Highlights