From Garth Stein, author of the beloved bestseller The Art of Racing
in the Rain--now a major motion picture!
The New York Times bestselling "witty, atmospheric" (People) story
of a once powerful American family, and the price that must be paid by
the heirs as they struggle for redemption: "A captivating page-turner"
(Star Tribune, Minneapolis).
Twenty-three years after the fateful summer of 1990, Trevor Riddell
recalls the events surrounding his fourteenth birthday, when he gets his
first glimpse of the infamous Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a
massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed of
giant whole trees and is set on a huge estate overlooking Seattle's
Puget Sound. Trevor's bankrupt parents have separated, and his father,
Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join
forces with Aunt Serena, dispatch the ailing and elderly Grandpa Samuel
to a nursing home, sell off the house and property for development, and
divide up the profits.
But as young Trevor explores the house's hidden stairways and forgotten
rooms, he discovers secrets that convince him that the family plan may
be at odds with the land's true destiny. Only Trevor's willingness to
face the dark past of his forefathers will reveal the key to his
family's future.
Spellbinding and atmospheric, A Sudden Light is rich with vivid
characters, poetic scenes of natural beauty, and powerful moments of
spiritual transcendence. "Garth Stein is resourceful, cleverly piecing
together the family history with dreams, overheard conversations, and
reminiscences...a tale well told," (The Seattle Times)--a triumphant
work of a master storyteller at the height of his power.
