It's the summer of 1990 and everything is about to be
forever changed for Trevor Riddell.... With his parents
newly
separated, Trevor visits his Grandpa Samuel's home for the
first time. Family secrets have been buried in Riddell
house
for generations and Trevor's inquisitive nature has him
questioning if there is a ghostly presence lingering.
Meanwhile, Trevor's father, Jones, has teamed up with his
sister, Serena, to try to force the sale of Riddell House.
Will Trevor uncover the long-hidden family secrets and
discover his own heritage?
A SUDDEN LIGHT is told from the perspective of an adult
looking back on one summer in his childhood. We delve
deep
into the Riddell family's past, seeing their rise to power
with lumber baron Elijah Riddell. I particularly love the
journals and letters that Trevor uncovers in his
explorations as it is through these writings that we get a
real sense of the Riddell family's painful history and
what
the house and land actually mean to Trevor's ancestors.
Garth Stein beautifully evokes memories and emotions
through
his rather quirky characters. We have likable characters
like Grandpa Samuels and Benjamin contrasted with the
detestable Serena. I hated Sister Serena and her penchant
for referring to her brother as "Brother Jones" from the
first moment Trevor sees her but I couldn't stop turning
the
pages fast enough to see what was in store for her.
A SUDDEN LIGHT is a thoroughly satisfying read with a very
startling but oh-so-satisfying conclusion. Garth Stein has
a
gift for pulling the reader into the storyline and
allowing
the reader to see the awe and wonder of nature through his
characters. A SUDDEN LIGHT encompasses multiple genres as
Garth Stein crafts a tale that is as memorable as it is
beautiful.
The bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
presents a long-awaited new novel in which a boy trying to
save his parents’ marriage uncovers a vast legacy of
family
secrets.
In the summer of 1990, fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell
gets
his first glimpse of Riddell House. Built from the spoils
of
a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is
constructed of giant whole trees and is set on a huge
estate
overlooking Seattle’s Puget Sound. Trevor’s bankrupt
parents
have begun a trial separation, and his father, Jones
Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal:
to
join forces with his sister, Serena, dispatch the ailing
and
elderly Grandpa Samuel to a nursing home, sell off the
house
and property for development, divide up the profits, and
live happily ever after.
But as Trevor explores the house’s secret stairways and
hidden rooms, he discovers a spirit lingering in Riddell
House whose agenda is at odds with the family plan. Only
Trevor’s willingness to face the dark past of his
forefathers will reveal the key to his family’s future.
Spellbinding and atmospheric, A Sudden Light is rich with
unconventional characters, scenes of transcendent natural
beauty, and unforgettable moments of emotional truth that
reflect Garth Stein’s outsized capacity for empathy and
keen
understanding of human motivation—a triumphant work of a
master storyteller at the height of his power.
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