The book. "A Sudden Light" by Garth Stein. He also wrote "The Art of Racing in the Rain" which Barnes & Noble and/or the publishers aptly reminded me about with an extra sleeve over the dust cover with the latter's book art. I'd seen it multiple times and had avoided it. But I was in Colorado for Christmas, and at Barnes & Noble to get some last-minute gifts, and the book was there. So I read the first chapter in the store. And then the second. And I had to keep reading, so that's when $26.95 (actually, less, because I am a member after all) was spent - but not needlessly.
I finished the book on New Year's day, so it counted as my first book of 2015. There were so many wonderful things about this book - rich language, an enticing story, fresh characters, some surprises and some supernatural occurrences. It's also a beautiful hardback copy, with artsy, uneven paper edges. And so I didn't bend any corners to save memories of words & phrases worth saving.
But I remember loving the main character, a young boy with an adventurous heart who only wants his dad's affection and his mother's attention and for them to get back together. His aunt was strange - I never really liked her. His dad was broken. His mother was largely absent. His grandfather was being abused (by the aunt). And they lived (well, not the mom) in an old house with tremendous family history - and (literally) ghosts of the past. Moments were light. Moments were slightly scary. Some moments, in dark corners of the house, there was some creepiness. There were also some heartwrenching moments - ah! the story of the great uncle & his love! - and a big tragedy (didn't see that coming - seriously)!
It's an enchanting ghost story about families and progress, how humans cope with change, and how we make meaning of our past & present. Like "The Art of Racing in the Rain," my soul was filled with warmth after reading. My soul re-filled with what it means to have a good book, a great story, complete but not forgotten.
I did manage to take a picture of a page that resonated - to serve as acpseudo-earmark.
"Perhaps that's what life is about - the search for such a connection. The search for magic. The search for the inexplicable. Not in order to explain it, or contain it. Simply in order to feel it. Because in that recognition of the sublime, we see for a moment the entire universe in the pal, of our hand. And in that moment, we touch the face of God."
With that, I leave you, with recommended reading.
oh, and in the search for the other photo in this post, I found this:
"Words were different when they lived inside of you."
From, "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Also, recommended reading.
