Goodnight Stranger. I absolutely loved this book! I couldn't put it down so it was read in a couple of days. The story is told by Lydia. She is likable and honest. She is someone you'd want to be friends with. As she shares her story (and mystery!) with you, you are transported along beside her. Why?
Because Miciah Bay Gault is an extraordinary writer. Her prose is often lyrical. There are hundreds of passages that I read and reread several times because they were just lovely to imagine. Lydia says: "I felt an electric sensation coursing through me, as if I'd swallowed ocean water bright with bioluminescence. I could feel those water-stars gliding up and down the avenues of my body." Or about her brother: "Lucas was grinning. He looked like he might take off flying, unfold surprise wings and lift into the darkness". Or about the stranger: "Memories were of special interest to him. He collected them, studied them ... as if memories could make a man rich." Wow! This book will have you wanting more from this author. Miciah, I can hardly wait for the next one!
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Reviews with images
Deeply Atmospheric, Lushly Written
Deeply compelling and highly disturbing at times, GOODNIGHT STRANGER is a suspenseful literary thriller with themes of grief, love, and human behavior.This is one of those books that is as eerie as moving, for me, and also has a bit of magical realism/suspended belief that may excite and intrigue. As a debut, GOODNIGHT STRANGER (Park Row Books, July 30) is darn good.Lydia and her brother, Lucas live in their family's ramshackle home on fictional Wolf Island (just off Cape Cod) and while they are adults, they haven't exactly 'launched.' Lydia is 28 years old when the story begins and she's a college dropout with dreams of going back. She left Brown when her mother became ill. Her brother is a bit 'different' in the way he sees the world. Pathologically shy, Lucas spends his time doing odd jobs and living in the home shadowed by past events. And ghosts.Lucas and Lydia are the two remaining children of triplets. The other child, who is referred to as 'Baby B,' died tragically as an infant. When Lydia sees a stranger step off the ferry one day, she is immediately drawn to him. Lucas is convinced this man, who calls himself Cole, is the reincarnation of their baby brother, Baby B. Cole somehow knows inside information about Lydia and Lucas, shares some of the same mannerisms. Could he actually be the reincarnation of this brother, one they never even really knew because he was only months old when he died?Lydia is doubtful but continues a friendship with Cole while simultaneously doing her own research into who he might really be. The story takes us from the small island to the Cape and to Vermont where other, darker truths lie.I found some of the set up wasn't always there and I found some of Lydia's behavior somewhat far-fetched and sometimes unwise. However, there were several gasp-out-loud moments, and I was intrigued with this reincarnation concept. The ending is somewhat inevitable but leaves some open-ended questions. Ultimately, GOODNIGHT STRANGER is a well-written literary suspense about the power of grief and love, regrets and anxiety, loneliness, and the darker side of human behavior.I found some similarities between GOODNIGHT STRANGER and THE CHILD IN TIME (Ian McEwan) meets MY DARLING DAUGHTER (Margaret Leroy) with a touch of THE BOBCAT (Katherine Forbes Riley), with a touch of some of Diane Chamberlain's earlier works (especially those set on water) and maybe a bit of Anita Shreve.L.Lindsay|Always with a Book
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2019
Deeply compelling and highly disturbing at times, GOODNIGHT STRANGER is a suspenseful literary thriller with themes of grief, love, and human behavior.
This is one of those books that is as eerie as moving, for me, and also has a bit of magical realism/suspended belief that may excite and intrigue. As a debut, GOODNIGHT STRANGER (Park Row Books, July 30) is darn good.
Lydia and her brother, Lucas live in their family's ramshackle home on fictional Wolf Island (just off Cape Cod) and while they are adults, they haven't exactly 'launched.' Lydia is 28 years old when the story begins and she's a college dropout with dreams of going back. She left Brown when her mother became ill. Her brother is a bit 'different' in the way he sees the world. Pathologically shy, Lucas spends his time doing odd jobs and living in the home shadowed by past events. And ghosts.
Lucas and Lydia are the two remaining children of triplets. The other child, who is referred to as 'Baby B,' died tragically as an infant. When Lydia sees a stranger step off the ferry one day, she is immediately drawn to him. Lucas is convinced this man, who calls himself Cole, is the reincarnation of their baby brother, Baby B. Cole somehow knows inside information about Lydia and Lucas, shares some of the same mannerisms. Could he actually be the reincarnation of this brother, one they never even really knew because he was only months old when he died?
Lydia is doubtful but continues a friendship with Cole while simultaneously doing her own research into who he might really be. The story takes us from the small island to the Cape and to Vermont where other, darker truths lie.
I found some of the set up wasn't always there and I found some of Lydia's behavior somewhat far-fetched and sometimes unwise. However, there were several gasp-out-loud moments, and I was intrigued with this reincarnation concept. The ending is somewhat inevitable but leaves some open-ended questions. Ultimately, GOODNIGHT STRANGER is a well-written literary suspense about the power of grief and love, regrets and anxiety, loneliness, and the darker side of human behavior.
I found some similarities between GOODNIGHT STRANGER and THE CHILD IN TIME (Ian McEwan) meets MY DARLING DAUGHTER (Margaret Leroy) with a touch of THE BOBCAT (Katherine Forbes Riley), with a touch of some of Diane Chamberlain's earlier works (especially those set on water) and maybe a bit of Anita Shreve.
L.Lindsay|Always with a Book
This is one of those books that is as eerie as moving, for me, and also has a bit of magical realism/suspended belief that may excite and intrigue. As a debut, GOODNIGHT STRANGER (Park Row Books, July 30) is darn good.
Lydia and her brother, Lucas live in their family's ramshackle home on fictional Wolf Island (just off Cape Cod) and while they are adults, they haven't exactly 'launched.' Lydia is 28 years old when the story begins and she's a college dropout with dreams of going back. She left Brown when her mother became ill. Her brother is a bit 'different' in the way he sees the world. Pathologically shy, Lucas spends his time doing odd jobs and living in the home shadowed by past events. And ghosts.
Lucas and Lydia are the two remaining children of triplets. The other child, who is referred to as 'Baby B,' died tragically as an infant. When Lydia sees a stranger step off the ferry one day, she is immediately drawn to him. Lucas is convinced this man, who calls himself Cole, is the reincarnation of their baby brother, Baby B. Cole somehow knows inside information about Lydia and Lucas, shares some of the same mannerisms. Could he actually be the reincarnation of this brother, one they never even really knew because he was only months old when he died?
Lydia is doubtful but continues a friendship with Cole while simultaneously doing her own research into who he might really be. The story takes us from the small island to the Cape and to Vermont where other, darker truths lie.
I found some of the set up wasn't always there and I found some of Lydia's behavior somewhat far-fetched and sometimes unwise. However, there were several gasp-out-loud moments, and I was intrigued with this reincarnation concept. The ending is somewhat inevitable but leaves some open-ended questions. Ultimately, GOODNIGHT STRANGER is a well-written literary suspense about the power of grief and love, regrets and anxiety, loneliness, and the darker side of human behavior.
I found some similarities between GOODNIGHT STRANGER and THE CHILD IN TIME (Ian McEwan) meets MY DARLING DAUGHTER (Margaret Leroy) with a touch of THE BOBCAT (Katherine Forbes Riley), with a touch of some of Diane Chamberlain's earlier works (especially those set on water) and maybe a bit of Anita Shreve.
L.Lindsay|Always with a Book
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