Luke is a lonely child caught in the middle of a divorce and living with his mother, Claire, when he meets Daniel on a playground. The two immediately bond, and Claire seems glad Luke has found a friend to keep him occupied. But Daniel isn't like other boys, and he gradually becomes aware of the power he has over Luke. As the two grow up together, Luke at times shuts Daniel out of his life, although he can't quite seem to cut the ties completely -- either through his own reluctance or from Daniel's influence. Meanwhile, Daniel bides his time and grows stronger as Luke continues to give up bits and pieces of himself, until the two are virtually one person.
This is an absolutely riveting and chilling story about some deeply dysfunctional relationships: not only Luke and Daniel's, but Luke and Claire's as well. Although some readers may guess Daniel's secret early on, personally I found myself guessing until the very end. But the story is not as much about who Daniel is as what he does in this twisted friendship with Luke. They battle for control, power and ultimately life and death -- a struggle complicated and sometimes mirrored by Claire's increasingly bizarre behavior. This isn't an easy read, but it's grimly fascinating and kept me on the edge of my seat, haunting me long after I had finished the last page.
On a chilly November afternoon, six-year-old Luke
Nightingale's life changes forever. On the playground across
from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he encounters Daniel.
Soon the boys are hiding from dinosaurs and shooting sniper
rifles. Within hours, Luke and his mother, Claire, are
welcoming Daniel into their Upper East Side apartment -- and
their lives.
Daniel and Luke are soon inseparable. With his parents
divorcing, Luke takes comfort in having a near-constant
playmate. But there's something strange about Daniel, who is
more than happy to bind himself to the Nightingales. The
divorce has cut Luke's father out of the picture, and as his
increasingly fragile mother struggles with the insidious
family depression, Daniel -- shrewd, adventurous, and
insightful -- provides Luke both recreation and refuge.
As Luke grows from a child to an adolescent to a young man,
he realizes that as much as his mother needs him, Daniel
needs him more. Jealous of Luke's other attachments, Daniel
moves from gestures of friendship into increasingly sinister
manipulations. In the end, Luke finds himself in a daily
battle for control of his own life -- wondering whether he
or Daniel will emerge victorious.
Brian DeLeeuw's debut is a haunting and provocative story of
a family's love and madness that you will not be able to put
down.
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