A Sudden Light: A Novel, Garth Stein, author; Seth Numrich, narrator

Jones Riddell and his wife Rachel had recently experienced financial difficulties. They were forced to declare bankruptcy, and consequently lost their Connecticut home. Their marriage became strained and they decided to temporarily separate. Rachel traveled to her parent’s home in England, and Jones took his 14-year-old son Trevor to his ancestral home in Seattle, Washington. It was there that his father’s family had once operated a successful forestry enterprise.

Once at Riddell House, Trevor met his grandfather Samuel, a confused elderly man, and his beautiful Aunt Serena, a woman who made his hormones spring to life. Serena, younger than his father, was the caregiver for his grandfather. As children, her “Brother Jones” had exerted a great influence on her, but after the untimely death of their mother, Isobel, Jones was banished by his father, and more than two decades had passed since he had returned. His sister Serena wanted him to help her get their father, Samuel, to give them Power of Attorney so they could sell the house. The problem was that Elijah, Trevor’s great grandfather, who created the Riddell fortunes, became remorseful after his son Ben died; he changed from being a timber baron to kind of a conservationist. He decided to repent for abusing the forest in order to satisfy his own greed. He had written that the land should return to its former state after the last Riddell passed on.

As Trevor became more comfortable in his father’s former home, he began to explore. There were mysteries developing. Objects were disappearing without explanation, like his watch and his father’s ring. Even his Aunt Serena’s cake server went missing. Then, on occasion he heard strange sounds, voices, and he even thought he saw apparitions. He discovered secret passageways and hidey holes where he found some of the missing objects. When he tried to tell his mom and his dad about what he had discovered, they didn’t believe him. He wanted to know if the house was haunted. His mom thought his imagination was at work. His aunt laughed at him. Trevor realized that his dad was hiding something, but he wouldn’t reveal it to Trevor even when he pleaded.

As Trevor learned more and more secrets, he discovered that Elijah’s son Ben had died very young, under odd circumstances, right after the death of his lover, Harry. Both men had loved the trees and hated that Elijah’s business was deforesting the land. Elijah had disapproved of Ben’s homosexual relationship; Ben had disapproved of the family’s logging business which he believed was raping the land. This was more than a century ago and two things were true:  Alternate lifestyles were not accepted and abusing the environment was not a parlor conversation.

After awhile, against reality, it seems that Trevor actually engaged with a ghost, the ghost of Ben. He learned that Ben’s brother Abraham was Grandfather Samuel’s father. He learned that Ben was a gentle, thoughtful man. He learned about the “not quite secret” great love he and Harry had shared. He learned about the history of the estate and he discovered that Ben thought that he, Trevor, might be the one who could save it so that Elijah’s wish to honor Ben’s memory, by returning the land to its former state of beauty, would be fulfilled. This was in contrast to his aunt and father’s wish to sell it and have the land developed. Both Serena and Jones were truly cash strapped. What should Trevor do? Should he help Ben or should he help his father and his aunt? What about his grandfather? Did he want his grandfather sent to a home? Did he need that kind of environment? Was he really that sick? These were all questions that would be difficult for an adult to handle. Trevor had only just turned 14 a few days before!

As Trevor continued to consider what to do, he explored further and learned more and more. He began to suspect that Serena had ulterior motives. He began to wonder about why his grandfather seemed so confused sometimes, believing he heard his dead wife dancing, and yet at other times, seemed a bit more coherent. As the story twists and turns, it is laced with revelations and tragedy. How will justice be served for Serena, Jones and Samuel in this life? How will justice be served for Ben who is from the past?

At the core of the story, there is also an interesting environmental question. Should the forest be restored to its original majesty or should human interaction with it be allowed to destroy it? Have humans interfered with nature? Should they?

 

This is a multi-generational story of absolution and reconciliation. It is set in a palatial mansion, complete with hidden passageways, which stands amid the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Ghosts of generations past reach out: through words in dusty journals and spectral visitations. (It is not a horror story though). The dichotomous interplay of past and present, real versus imagined weave an intricate web throughout the book. Brilliant ephiphanous storytelling bring together this part-mystery, part-ghost story and part-love story to... well, a sudden light!

I also highly recommend 'The Art of Racing in the Rain' by the same author. You'd need tissues though.

When I read The Art Racing in the Rain, I have to admit I was a little ambivalent going in. I mean, come on, a dog narrates it, right? But of course, like millions of others, I was hooked pretty much from the beginning. Garth Stein begins this book in the same way, hooking me with the promise of a crumbling old mansion, a lost family fortune, tense marital and sibling relations, and, most compellingly, a few old ghosts.

 

Again I was a little taken aback by the narrator — 14-year old Trevor Riddell — thinking he was too young to tell this story. But again, I fell right into the lilting, easy dialogue of these characters, with all of their charms and their dysfunction. The story has the lyricism and the pacing of an old-fashioned ghost story, with only a few interruptions from the modern world. Of course there is a present day story here, and there are real world problems that are addressed as the family decides their future. But while they are in this house, the rest of the world seems to exist more as a concept than as a reality, which creates a sort of timeless quality for the story.

 

I still stand by my initial thought that Trevor was too young a narrator, but Stein compensated for this by making him wise beyond his years. If the story had not been so well told, I may have argued about this (narrative cheating), especially since his naiveté in some areas did not jibe with his knowledge in others. There was also some very VC Andrews-like creepiness to the story that I could have done without, especially since it was laced with a Berenstain bears-ish, “Sister Serena, Brother Jones” that only made it worse. Maybe this is common for the place (Puget Sound), but around here it’s just a tad weird. But I am a grown-up, as much as I hate to admit it, so I try to look beyond these tiny details. All in all, it was a moving, lushly-told tale. I would also highly recommend the audio book, which is narrated beautifully by Seth Numrich. I can’t wait to see who Stein's next narrator is — I vote for a shoe, or a Parakeet — Run with it, Garth!

A great tale of family relations and how mixed up they can get. The characters are quirky but believable. I really interesting rollercoaster ride of a book.

As I try to think of words to describe this novel, I know I will undoubtedly fail. This novel took me on an adventure of astronomical proportions. It was my constant companion. I couldn’t let this book out of my sight, as my thoughts were forever insides its pages and when I turned the last page, I was ready to start it anew.

 

As Trevor uncovers the layers of his past, we are in this mission together. No longer as I just a reader, but I am a part of his pursuit to uncover the mysteries the house contains. The house contains the history of his family, a long history of descendants with fascinating stories to tell and promises they wanted kept. Since grandmother death, the plan was to sell the house and move grandfather to a care facility but after arriving at the extensive homestead, things aren’t going according to plan. Grandfather is refusing to relinquish the house as he hears his wife dancing upstairs and after further investigation, Trevor his grandson believes he saw her. So much time and so many words unspoken have passed since his father has returned to his childhood home and now they are there: Trevor, his father, his aunt Serena and grandfather. It’s not just these new events that they must deal with, but the past must be dealt with before they can move on. Serena has remained at home, she lives with hope and dreams but her means are something to be questioned. Trevor starts to uncover his families past and the history this house possesses as he discovers secret rooms, diaries, staircases and other unique traits that other individuals failed to see. I was in awe with Trevor’s journey.   This was an incredible undertaking for a fourteen-year old as finds the evidence, comes to understand exactly what it is and he handles it without any guidance. Trevor has other major concerns but he realizes how big this and important this information he uncovers really is and he is bound to bring it to light. The book had me on a rollercoaster with its twists and turns, it’s up and downs, my jaw dropping many times – such a wonderful ride and one I would pay to ride again.   Trevor digs himself in and does everything he can to put it all together. It’s beautifully done and again, I loved it, every word and every twist and in the end, it’s breathtaking. The ending was perfect, not what I would have wanted but it was perfect for this book.