A Sudden Light by Garth Stein
I’m not quite sure
how to classify this novel. Ghost story,
certainly. Coming of age, yes. Historical, yes, there’s some of that, too. Mystery.
Oh, and environmental. If you’re
inclined toward any of those genres you’ll
appreciate this new story by Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing
in the Rain.
Trevor Riddell is
introduced to his family history when he travels with his father to
Riddell house, a monstrous house set on a huge tract of land
on Puget Sound bought and paid for with lumber taken from the Pacific Northwest
and used to supply the ties for railroads.
The house is built entirely of the trees from the land. Whole trees. Monster big trees. But it was the purging of the forests that
sets the tone for the book.
Trevor’s father,
John, has separated from Trevor’s mother
and his journey back to his estranged home is solely for the purpose of putting
his aging father in a nursing home, sell the house and land to a developer and
take the money back home to hopefully reunite with his wife.
That’s where the
family ghost comes in. The ghost has
other plans for the land. Trevor
discovers enough evidence to support the
family ghost and sets in motion an alternative plan.
Sound
confusing? It really isn’t. This was really, really thought provoking and
well worth your effort.
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