Saturday, November 1, 2014

Better Nesting Book Club : A Sudden Light


The Better Nesting Book Club recommends:
A Sudden Light
by Garth Stein

Garth Stein's previous book, The Art of Racing in the Rain, is one of my favorite books from the last 10 years. I have also had the privilege of meeting the author, so when I saw that he had a new book, naturally, I was excited to read it.

There is no dog in A Sudden Light (If you haven't read The Art of Racing in the Rain, which you really should, the book is narrated by the dog.) but there are ghosts. The Riddell family is haunted by several generations of unresolved issues and secrets.

For the first time in his life, fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell's father takes him to the family mansion, which was built by a timber-baron ancestor. The mansion is a huge, rustic building built from whole trees on an estate overlooking Puget Sound. With hidden staircases and secret rooms the the house sets a dark and secretive atmosphere for the story.

While Trevor's father and his sister are working together to sell off the house and property and send their father to a retirement home, Trevor begins to explore the house and surrounding property. Trevor's exploration uncovers long-buried family secrets. His willingness to face his family's past, ghosts and all, changes his family's future.

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