Mona B

The setting is in a small California town and is narrated by an 11 year old girl whose world is drastically changed as day by day the earths' rotation around the sun is shortened. Never knowing what to expect, she tries to maintain life as she's known it---part of a family consisting of mother, father and grandfather, in school where she struggles with friendships and the always difficult coming-of-age problems of self esteem, body image, and fashion all while trying desperately to attract the attention of one particular boy. Meanwhile, society is disintegrating ---there are battles between those trying to live by the 24 hr. "clock time" and those living on "physical time" corresponding with the ever lengthening hours of daylight and darkness. All the simple activities of daily life are altered, the food supply is at risk leading to hoarding and growing vegetables and fruits under artificial lights, utilities are strained, severe climate changes occur, and eventually solar radiation takes the lives of the people who venture out in the sunlight. This book is very thought-provoking, offering no solutions, but leaving one with a deeper appreciation of life as we know it today.

What a delightful book to review. Wiley Cash writes with such clarity that, as you turn the pages, you step into beautiful North Carolina, a place where life flows by at a much slower pace and the past holds a deeper more meaningful memory in the hearts and minds of a small-town people. The story is narrated by three people: Jess Hall, a young boy whose autistic brother dies as a result of a church "healing", Adelaide Lyle, an aged motherly woman trying to stay true to her backwoods up-bringing, while glimpsing the darkness at the heart of the church, and Clem Barefield, the sheriff, whose own personal tragedy colors his attempt to deal with the situation. Among these three, the other characters are interwoven to evoke all the powerful emotions displayed in this wonderful novel. This book would make an excellent choice for a reading club as each reader's perception would depend on their own personal background and life experiences. If you want something to read with a fresh new atmosphere, do try this book!