A Sudden Light by Garth Stein is book that promises a spooky, somewhat Gothic tale of a house, a family, and a timber fortune. It delivers a multigenerational family saga about a dysfunctional family and the power of relationships to build up and to destroy. The writing and imagery is artistic, but the fourteen year old narrator and the story are less so.
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2014/10/a-sudden-light.html
Reviewed based on a publisher's galley received through Edelweiss
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2014/10/a-sudden-light.html
Reviewed based on a publisher's galley received through Edelweiss
The Riddell house is a wooden mansion in Seattle
overlooking Seattle's Puget Sound to which Trevor, 14, accompanied his father, Jones. His parents are separated, have no money and plan to sell the place. The two will meet Serena, Trevor's aunt, to move Grandpa Samuel to assisted care and sell the estate.
Constructed from giant trees with attached bark, the house is unforgettable because of its size. Trevor recalls first seeing it the summer of 1990. He was thirteen. Now he explores the estate discovering secrets about the family past, meeting spirits/ghosts, uncovering lies and deception. He learns about those who inhabited the house and an earlier owner who dictated that the estate be returned to forest. Grandpa Samuel agrees. Trevor only wants his family to be whole again.
The stage is set for family drama told through the eyes of the youngest member, Trevor. The characters have wonderfully unique personalities with their own agendas. Trevor has conversations with a ghost and reads old diaries written by Elijah's son, Ben. It's a wonderful well told story by a storyteller who weaves the best of tales.
overlooking Seattle's Puget Sound to which Trevor, 14, accompanied his father, Jones. His parents are separated, have no money and plan to sell the place. The two will meet Serena, Trevor's aunt, to move Grandpa Samuel to assisted care and sell the estate.
Constructed from giant trees with attached bark, the house is unforgettable because of its size. Trevor recalls first seeing it the summer of 1990. He was thirteen. Now he explores the estate discovering secrets about the family past, meeting spirits/ghosts, uncovering lies and deception. He learns about those who inhabited the house and an earlier owner who dictated that the estate be returned to forest. Grandpa Samuel agrees. Trevor only wants his family to be whole again.
The stage is set for family drama told through the eyes of the youngest member, Trevor. The characters have wonderfully unique personalities with their own agendas. Trevor has conversations with a ghost and reads old diaries written by Elijah's son, Ben. It's a wonderful well told story by a storyteller who weaves the best of tales.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a perfect summer read.
Picked this up on a whim. Turned out better than I expected. Very good story and interesting characters. A mystery with a little ghost story and history.
