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betsysbookcase 's review for:
A Sudden Light
by Garth Stein
This is a story of redemption, forgiveness, the struggle to make the right decision in the face of opposition, faith in that which one cannot see, and family loyalties that are unbreakable.
Trevor is a 14-year-old boy who travels from New England to Seattle with his father to meet his relatives for the first time. They stay in a historic log mansion with Trevor's grandfather and aunt, where his father grew up, and it is apparent immediately that there are deep family secrets, points of resentment, and unfinished business among them and those who lived there before them.
During their visit, Trevor discovers that the house is haunted by the ghost of his decreased great-grandfather, Ben, who appears to Trevor and guides him in learning about his family's secretive past. His great-great-grandfather was a wealthy logger who wished to develop the land for profit, while Ben was passionate about preserving the forests and becoming in tune with nature. During his life, Ben was torn between "the philosophies of the Transcendentalists and the new breed of conservationism with his father's mission, which, as far as he could tell, was to destroy nature for profit." Ben is stuck as a ghost in the mansion until his mission to return the house to nature is completed.
Trevor wants to experience the world around him with all of his senses engaged, and grows closer to his father as he realizes this desire. He searches for meaning, and for a metaphysical connection to the world and to the past, present and future... "I wanted very badly to have an affinity for something that would become transcendent when I held it in my hands."
This story asks the reader to consider the metaphysical realm and connection all beings have to one another. "Sometimes there are triggers for disease that may be rooted in the metaphysical realm, and, when something like that occurs, medical science tends to dismiss the connection because it does not exist within the pages of their medical tomes." "We are all connected. The living to the nonliving, as the nonliving to the living. All things in all directions in all times... And who's to say that energy is not real? We can't see gravity, either, yet we don't deny it."
I didn't completely buy into the metaphysical aspect and the ghosts, but I thought the points were intriquing. My most substantial critique of this book is the underdevelopment of the characters. The adults are unstable and even immature at times, with very inconsistent relationships with one another. The 14-year-old boy seemed to be the most insightful, intelligent, and mature of the group. Maybe that was the point, but I would have liked a greater sense of each character's personality and goals.
Overall this was a quick read that brought up some interesting points, but not what I had hoped from the author of The Art of Racing in the Rain, which is one of my favorite books of all time!
Trevor is a 14-year-old boy who travels from New England to Seattle with his father to meet his relatives for the first time. They stay in a historic log mansion with Trevor's grandfather and aunt, where his father grew up, and it is apparent immediately that there are deep family secrets, points of resentment, and unfinished business among them and those who lived there before them.
During their visit, Trevor discovers that the house is haunted by the ghost of his decreased great-grandfather, Ben, who appears to Trevor and guides him in learning about his family's secretive past. His great-great-grandfather was a wealthy logger who wished to develop the land for profit, while Ben was passionate about preserving the forests and becoming in tune with nature. During his life, Ben was torn between "the philosophies of the Transcendentalists and the new breed of conservationism with his father's mission, which, as far as he could tell, was to destroy nature for profit." Ben is stuck as a ghost in the mansion until his mission to return the house to nature is completed.
Trevor wants to experience the world around him with all of his senses engaged, and grows closer to his father as he realizes this desire. He searches for meaning, and for a metaphysical connection to the world and to the past, present and future... "I wanted very badly to have an affinity for something that would become transcendent when I held it in my hands."
This story asks the reader to consider the metaphysical realm and connection all beings have to one another. "Sometimes there are triggers for disease that may be rooted in the metaphysical realm, and, when something like that occurs, medical science tends to dismiss the connection because it does not exist within the pages of their medical tomes." "We are all connected. The living to the nonliving, as the nonliving to the living. All things in all directions in all times... And who's to say that energy is not real? We can't see gravity, either, yet we don't deny it."
I didn't completely buy into the metaphysical aspect and the ghosts, but I thought the points were intriquing. My most substantial critique of this book is the underdevelopment of the characters. The adults are unstable and even immature at times, with very inconsistent relationships with one another. The 14-year-old boy seemed to be the most insightful, intelligent, and mature of the group. Maybe that was the point, but I would have liked a greater sense of each character's personality and goals.
Overall this was a quick read that brought up some interesting points, but not what I had hoped from the author of The Art of Racing in the Rain, which is one of my favorite books of all time!