Tuesday, 3 September 2013

Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman
















From Goodreads

"Subtle touches...make this intelligent novel shine. Ms. Hoffman knows how to tell a story."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
Set on Martha's Vineyard, here is a stunning novel that brings that beautiful island to vivid life--a novel that weaves together the lives of a little boy, an elderly woman, a blond giant, a young couple, and a teenaged girl...lives of intense erotic longing, of quiet understanding, of willful determination. It is a novel of magic and mystery, and a literary event that confirms Alice Hoffman as one of our finest and most compelling writers.


My review

Alice Hoffman's stories usually have an element of the magical or fairytale touch to them but this one isn't quite like that.  The nearest this one gets to that is the blond haired giant.  Who people are frightened of but I ask myself why?

The story tells the tale of a young couple and their son, an elderly neighbour and her sometimes rebellious teenage granddaughter who lives with her and the blond haired giant.

As teenage affections are ignited by a young married man and mistakes are made, we are drawn into the lives of these Martha's Vineyard inhabitants.  As their lives are woven together we learn about their pasts and as the future progresses tragedy is never far away. 

I gave this an 8/10 and I look forward to reading more books by this very talented writer.

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