Take a photo of a barcode or cover
yetiyaga 's review for:
A Sudden Light
by Garth Stein
I'm probably going to become the most hated reviewer of all time, but I have to announce that I did not like this book. Not just a "eh, this isn't for me," but a "are you serious right now?! I can't believe I have to finish this thing." When I first heard about this book I thought I was going to fall in love with it. Gothic setting? Yes! Coming of age? I'm there! Ghosts? Yup! Family saga? You can't stop me from reading this! When I finally got it into my hands, I was thrilled. The first chapter sucked me in and I was quickly moving the book up my "best of 2014" list. Then chapter two hit and I thought "just a little slump before the real action takes off." Then chapter three left me thinking "okay, just give it some time." Once I slugged my way to page 225, I knew that this book was not for me.
The story follows Trevor Riddell as he joins his father in traveling from their home in Connecticut to their family's estate in the Pacific Northwest. Trevor's father has not set foot on the land since his mother died, but his separation from his wife is pushing him to return to his roots. All Trevor wants is for his parents to get back together, but that is much easier said than done. They're not at Riddell House long before strange things start happening: Trevor starts hearing noises, thinks that he's seeing someone dancing, and losing track of some of his personal items. But this oddness pales in comparison to the people he is sharing the house with: his grandfather and aunt. The grandfather is slowly losing his hold on the world around him and Trevor's aunt is taking full advantage of the situation. But these characters are not the only ones with dubious motives. Trevor stumbles upon a diary that might hold the key to the ghosts he is living with, both alive and dead.
My first complaint is that the story is cliched; it has been done before and done better. Stein's typical style does not shine through this piece. Instead, the writing feels labored and facile. There is no depth to the characters and the "mysteries" are basically solved as soon as they are introduced (i.e. Riddell House is full of riddles!). I was hoping that this was all setup for a great finish, but even that fell flat. It seemed as if Stein painted himself into a corner by the last 100 pages and just threw up his hands. In other words, he ending is one that we've seen many times before and done much better. While I always enjoy a good book with unlikeable characters, these ones didn't even interest me. The plot seemed contrived and the overall story came off as feeling like a bloated short story that was forced into a novel.
The story follows Trevor Riddell as he joins his father in traveling from their home in Connecticut to their family's estate in the Pacific Northwest. Trevor's father has not set foot on the land since his mother died, but his separation from his wife is pushing him to return to his roots. All Trevor wants is for his parents to get back together, but that is much easier said than done. They're not at Riddell House long before strange things start happening: Trevor starts hearing noises, thinks that he's seeing someone dancing, and losing track of some of his personal items. But this oddness pales in comparison to the people he is sharing the house with: his grandfather and aunt. The grandfather is slowly losing his hold on the world around him and Trevor's aunt is taking full advantage of the situation. But these characters are not the only ones with dubious motives. Trevor stumbles upon a diary that might hold the key to the ghosts he is living with, both alive and dead.
My first complaint is that the story is cliched; it has been done before and done better. Stein's typical style does not shine through this piece. Instead, the writing feels labored and facile. There is no depth to the characters and the "mysteries" are basically solved as soon as they are introduced (i.e. Riddell House is full of riddles!). I was hoping that this was all setup for a great finish, but even that fell flat. It seemed as if Stein painted himself into a corner by the last 100 pages and just threw up his hands. In other words, he ending is one that we've seen many times before and done much better. While I always enjoy a good book with unlikeable characters, these ones didn't even interest me. The plot seemed contrived and the overall story came off as feeling like a bloated short story that was forced into a novel.