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Then Came the Evening
Bandy Dorner, home from Vietnam, awakes with his car mired in a canal, his cabin reduced to ashes, and his pregnant wife preparing to leave town with her lover. Within moments, a cop lies bleeding on the road. Eighteen years later, Bandy is released from prison. His parents are gone, but on the derelict family ranch, Bandy faces a different reunion. Tracy, his now teenaged son, has come to claim the father he's never known. Hot on his heels is his mum and Bandy's ex-wife. All three are damaged, hardened, haunted. But warily, desperately, they move in a slow dance around each other, trying to piece back together a family that never was; trying to discover if they belong together at all.
- GenresFiction
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 22, 2009
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354 people want to read
About the author
Brian Hart
118 books29 followersBrian Hart was born in central Idaho in 1976. He received an MFA from the Michener Center for Writers in 2008. He currently lives in Austin, TX with his wife and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
July 13, 2014
Despite not being the focal point of the narrative, all of the events in Brian Hart's Then Came the Evening can be traced back to one defining moment: Bandy Dorner enlisted for Vietnam. We never know what Bandy experienced during his tour of duty because the novel begins after his return home, but we know it had a profound effect. He returns a changed man and, after learning that his home has burnt down and believing his young wife, Iona, to have been inside, a drunk, grief-stricken Bandy turns to the familiarity of violence, shooting and killing the officer trying to subdue him. Little does Bandy know that his pain will only beget pain as his wife, Iona, has left him for another man but is pregnant with Bandy's child--a child who will later be marked and judged by his father's actions.
Now before you chastise me for spoilers, all of this happens in the first few pages of the novel. Then Came the Evening picks up nearly two decades later, as Bandy's son, Tracy, decides to reconnect with the father who never knew of his existence. Bandy's release from prison is imminent and, hoping to mend the shattered family, Tracy sets about reclaiming the abandoned family ranch, restoring the gutted house in anticipation of Bandy's return home. As his wayward parents are drawn back to the hometown and the past they left behind, Tracy, Iona, and Bandy tentatively attempt to recapture a sense of family despite old wounds and fresh betrayals, learning the futility of trying to recapture what never was.
Then Came the Evening is about people who are broken beyond repair, who have been shaped by proximity to violence and live in a world with sharp teeth. The narrative moves at a slow, unhurried pace and may frustrate readers who crave more external action, but I enjoyed Hart's refusal to rush a story that should unfold for us as it unfolds for the characters. There shouldn't be a race to the finish line here as Hart is writing about life as it is lived, exploring how people are marked by choices made in mundane circumstances. I also enjoyed lingering over the novel's brutally poetic descriptions of the physical landscape that reflects and explores the internal landscape of the characters--especially in the case of Iona and Bandy as they struggle to reconnect with a time and a place and a version of themselves that was, but is no more. These are not characters who are keenly in touch with their emotions, for whom words come easily. Told in vignettes adrift in time and from varying perspectives, the novel allows the stories of each character to jostle against the other like pieces of a puzzle trying to find a way of fitting together.
While Hart does a fine job of depicting the depths to which Iona has sunk after Tracy initially leaves her to find Bandy, it's his portrayal of Bandy that is the real genius of the novel. A man who has been in prison for the last 20 years, Bandy's return home is painful and raw as Bandy's fear and disorientation are palpable. While his crime was admittedly a heinous one, there's also a realization that this Bandy Dorner is not the same one who pulled the trigger years ago. There's something heartbreaking about his cautious hope that maybe something can still be salvaged from the wreck he made of his family; he knows he doesn't deserve it, but it doesn't stop him from wanting it. However, the novel is not interested in making a case for justifying the circumstances of the crime (as Bandy's mother says, "Everybody blames the war for everything. I'm sick of it" [13]), but more interested in making a case for Bandy as a human being--one still capable of brutality, but one who has not forgotten how to feel.
While the characters in Hart's novel aren't necessarily likable, I admire how they try--with varying levels of success--to make something better of themselves and of each other. While the reader knows the odds are against these shattered people being able to mend one another, there's an inherent nobility in the attempt.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder and at Shelf Inflicted
Now before you chastise me for spoilers, all of this happens in the first few pages of the novel. Then Came the Evening picks up nearly two decades later, as Bandy's son, Tracy, decides to reconnect with the father who never knew of his existence. Bandy's release from prison is imminent and, hoping to mend the shattered family, Tracy sets about reclaiming the abandoned family ranch, restoring the gutted house in anticipation of Bandy's return home. As his wayward parents are drawn back to the hometown and the past they left behind, Tracy, Iona, and Bandy tentatively attempt to recapture a sense of family despite old wounds and fresh betrayals, learning the futility of trying to recapture what never was.
Then Came the Evening is about people who are broken beyond repair, who have been shaped by proximity to violence and live in a world with sharp teeth. The narrative moves at a slow, unhurried pace and may frustrate readers who crave more external action, but I enjoyed Hart's refusal to rush a story that should unfold for us as it unfolds for the characters. There shouldn't be a race to the finish line here as Hart is writing about life as it is lived, exploring how people are marked by choices made in mundane circumstances. I also enjoyed lingering over the novel's brutally poetic descriptions of the physical landscape that reflects and explores the internal landscape of the characters--especially in the case of Iona and Bandy as they struggle to reconnect with a time and a place and a version of themselves that was, but is no more. These are not characters who are keenly in touch with their emotions, for whom words come easily. Told in vignettes adrift in time and from varying perspectives, the novel allows the stories of each character to jostle against the other like pieces of a puzzle trying to find a way of fitting together.
While Hart does a fine job of depicting the depths to which Iona has sunk after Tracy initially leaves her to find Bandy, it's his portrayal of Bandy that is the real genius of the novel. A man who has been in prison for the last 20 years, Bandy's return home is painful and raw as Bandy's fear and disorientation are palpable. While his crime was admittedly a heinous one, there's also a realization that this Bandy Dorner is not the same one who pulled the trigger years ago. There's something heartbreaking about his cautious hope that maybe something can still be salvaged from the wreck he made of his family; he knows he doesn't deserve it, but it doesn't stop him from wanting it. However, the novel is not interested in making a case for justifying the circumstances of the crime (as Bandy's mother says, "Everybody blames the war for everything. I'm sick of it" [13]), but more interested in making a case for Bandy as a human being--one still capable of brutality, but one who has not forgotten how to feel.
While the characters in Hart's novel aren't necessarily likable, I admire how they try--with varying levels of success--to make something better of themselves and of each other. While the reader knows the odds are against these shattered people being able to mend one another, there's an inherent nobility in the attempt.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder and at Shelf Inflicted
September 8, 2013
Sadly, this was not a story for me. The writing style is good, but I am not a huge fan of the language choices and all the sexual references and the story itself failed to draw me in. I would like to state up front that I did not finish this book. So my opinions are only based on the first third of the book, and skim-reading the rest.
'Then Came the Evening' has three main Characters: Bandy the father who is in jail, Iona his wife who left him for another man, and Tracy their teenage son who never knew his father growing up. Tracy gets permission to fix of Badny's family home in the country. He left his mother who seemed to live on sex, drinking, etc. His mother suddenly has a change of heart and follows him home and soon Bandy is released from jail after nearly 20 years. That is the first third of the book, then the rest seems to be re-getting to know one another and coexist.
Please, again, note I only read the first 130 pages then skim-read the rest. For me it was not an interesting read. I never truly saw the characters mature and I could not get into them. Not one... at all. To me, they had little depth. The mother may have had the most but I was against her for all the wrongs she pulled so maybe I am biased but ultimately this fell flat for me. I tried several times to read this book over several months. Never could I get into it. The writing, while clear and concise was very vulgar which I have never cared for and was too technical at times. I under the author, Brian Hart, was a carpenter and welder in real life so while Tracy is fixing the house you really see that come through, yet it seemed to detract from the story-telling.
The book seems very down to earth, and real life for some people. Maybe it is because I have never been around people like Bandy or Iona but I just couldn't get into their situation they were in.
If you like real life drama, and hardship this may be an interesting book for you, but for me, I need more story and at least 1 or 2 personable and likeable characters to really get me into a book.
*This was a Goodreads First Read Win! Thank you Bloomsbury for offering up a copy of this book. This review is of my own honest opinion. No money, or other gifts were given/accepted/offered for this review.
'Then Came the Evening' has three main Characters: Bandy the father who is in jail, Iona his wife who left him for another man, and Tracy their teenage son who never knew his father growing up. Tracy gets permission to fix of Badny's family home in the country. He left his mother who seemed to live on sex, drinking, etc. His mother suddenly has a change of heart and follows him home and soon Bandy is released from jail after nearly 20 years. That is the first third of the book, then the rest seems to be re-getting to know one another and coexist.
Please, again, note I only read the first 130 pages then skim-read the rest. For me it was not an interesting read. I never truly saw the characters mature and I could not get into them. Not one... at all. To me, they had little depth. The mother may have had the most but I was against her for all the wrongs she pulled so maybe I am biased but ultimately this fell flat for me. I tried several times to read this book over several months. Never could I get into it. The writing, while clear and concise was very vulgar which I have never cared for and was too technical at times. I under the author, Brian Hart, was a carpenter and welder in real life so while Tracy is fixing the house you really see that come through, yet it seemed to detract from the story-telling.
The book seems very down to earth, and real life for some people. Maybe it is because I have never been around people like Bandy or Iona but I just couldn't get into their situation they were in.
If you like real life drama, and hardship this may be an interesting book for you, but for me, I need more story and at least 1 or 2 personable and likeable characters to really get me into a book.
*This was a Goodreads First Read Win! Thank you Bloomsbury for offering up a copy of this book. This review is of my own honest opinion. No money, or other gifts were given/accepted/offered for this review.
December 29, 2009
Bandy, a young, hot headed Vietnam vet, rages his personal war with himself, his loved ones and anyone else who happens by, some of them even come out of it alive though few are unscathed. Bandy’s girlfriend finds out she’s pregnant and knows she has to escape Bandy’s almost nightly drinking, fighting and womanizing so she leaves with a quiet man who asks few questions. Bandy’s actions on the fateful day she leaves land him in jail for a few decades. It’s there he finds he has a son when the 18 year old stops by his prison. All these characters are seeking meaning and peace but none of them seem to accomplish much of either though none let go of their dreams of love and family and in a disjointed way they get as close to those dreams as they can. They keep running into their pasts while searching for a livable present. Hart’s writing is lovely, atmospheric, evocative. He never goes for the easy answer while looking to get as close to truth as he can.
March 13, 2011
Bandy Dorner emerges from his wrecked car after being roused awake by two policemen. Searching for focus in a dazed stupor, what happens next will send him away to jail for almost twenty years. His wife Iona, having fled with her lover Bill has no interest in Bandy, and his life in prison is hellish. He has not heard from Iona and he has asked his parents not to visit. Then in 1990 as he is near the end of his time served he receives a letter from Iona, with a startling confession that he has an eighteen year old son, Tracy. Naturally, Tracy wants to meet his father, and they meet while he is in prison. It is during this time that Tracy finds out about his father s old cabin and decides to live there as he waits for his father s return. When Tracy arrives at the house it is a gutted run down shell. The entire contents, everything including plumbing, ripped and carried away. After he has a serious accident while renovating the cabin, Iona runs to her son with a parental panic of foreboding deep in her gut. [return][return]When Bandy is released, the three live together, each having endured much pain and suffering already. They begin to sort out their feelings and whether they will ever live as a family. Their future and potential for forgiveness and hope for unity is what makes this story so good. I don t think I would want to ever meet Bandy Dorner and I m not sure I understand Iona at all. Tracy tries to strike a balance as he wants a relationship with both parents. [return][return]Then Came the Evening is a sadly pathetic and sobering story of a broken family. Brian Hart is a talented writer, a first time novelist who grabs the reader from the first chapter. His writing describes each scene with careful attention to details using poetic prose providing visual clarity. [return]Some quotes from Then Came the Evening.....[return][return] The moon was high and bright, the color of milk in a blue glass; three days from being full, it was cleaved on one side. He blinked several times at the thin halos surrounding the moon but they remained. They were an illusion: a snowball dropped in black water, ripples spreading from it. The house was dark and looked abandoned. The snow was blue on the road. The cold and the silence were woven together and stretched so tightly that there were creaking sounds in the air, nautical sounds of binding rope. ....The night air washed over him and he was not sad or conscious of his body and its weight: He was free. (Hart, 126)[return][return]and[return][return] Iona turned and watched the final dance of the fall-time, tree-filtered sun cross the untreated floorboards. The shadow of the ladder to the sleeping loft made bars on the floor, a skewed rail track on the wall. Then the sun went and in an instant the room felt cold. (Hart, 16)[return][return]This is a serious and dismal story yet its characters struggles and dreams carry a familiar message of hope. It exposes a fragile family with difficult choices and unstoppable consequences. I embrace Then Came the Evening:an unforgettable read. [return][return]Wisteria Leigh[return]December 2010[return][return]Disclosure: The copy of this book was a gift from the publisher, Bloomsbury/USA. This review represents my candid opinion without influence or monetary compensation.
November 25, 2012
This was a first novel by Brian Hart about a Vietnam Vet who murders a deputy sheriff in a small Idaho town, goes to prison, is released after serving 19 years to reunite with his son who was born after the murder. He also reconnects with his ex-wife and attempts to reintegrate into the small Idaho town.
There is some good writing here and a couple of well developed characters. I did not like the cavalier treatment of the murders committed by the central character. (Spoiler Alert!)
The character murders two additional people. One while in prison which is justified by prison guard corruption(this is one of those books where inmates are more honorable than the guards) and a later murder for hire where the character is compelled by some prison honor code which apparently takes precedent over an innocent person getting a chance to live out the rest of his life
Another reader may argue that there is some redemption in the book and that the author does not condone the murders and there are two brief scenes by the murdered deputy's sister but on the whole I don't accept that argument. The people murdered and the effect on their families is treated in a cavalier fashion and I think it detracts too much from the book
There is some good writing here and a couple of well developed characters. I did not like the cavalier treatment of the murders committed by the central character. (Spoiler Alert!)
The character murders two additional people. One while in prison which is justified by prison guard corruption(this is one of those books where inmates are more honorable than the guards) and a later murder for hire where the character is compelled by some prison honor code which apparently takes precedent over an innocent person getting a chance to live out the rest of his life
Another reader may argue that there is some redemption in the book and that the author does not condone the murders and there are two brief scenes by the murdered deputy's sister but on the whole I don't accept that argument. The people murdered and the effect on their families is treated in a cavalier fashion and I think it detracts too much from the book
January 25, 2011
I just won this book! Thank you Goodreads! If you want to read an uplifting and feel good book do NOT read this novel. It is a very dark family drama. Upon returning home from Vietnam, Brandy Dorner commits a serious crime and is sent to prison for 20 years. After his release, he returns to his home and a son he never knew he had. Also an ex-wife who is damaged and dealing with her past. This violent and tragic story is a memorable debut by Brian Hart. 3.5 stars but 4 for keeping me interested!
December 28, 2009
The two stars is not a reflection of the talent of the writer but rather of the likeability/ relatability of the characters and my general reading experience. The author manages to bring a tenderness to this book that is simultaneously unexpected and appropriate. I think this takes real talent. I just wish the characters were a little more relatable.
Basic plot: Very rural Idaho. Early 1970s. Vietnam vet named Bandy goes a little crazy when he thinks his girlfriend has died in a fire, runs his car off the road in a drunken fit, then ends up killing a cop who comes to help/ arrest him. Turns out the girlfriend is pregnant with his child and wasn't actually in the fire. In fact, she was leaving him for another man, Bill. Bandy ends up going to jail for 18+ years.
Flash forward about 18 years. Tracy, the son, visits Bandy in jail. As the only other living relative of the family, Tracy wants to go back to the family farm to live. Bandy gives him permission and Tracy goes there to fix it up. It's very primitive. He has an accident that is the author's excuse for his mother to return to the farm. The stage is set for Bandy to return to the house with his ex-girlfriend and son in residence after getting out of prison. Bandy is beyond damaged, is dying of hepatitis C, and is just generally an unlikeable human being. The mother is not terribly sympathetic; her motivations though fairly clear are, I don't know, boring and whiny. The son is not all that believable. The son and mother had lived with Bill for the previous 18-odd years until he died (of some unknown cause that created lots of medical bills). We never hear the mother or son talk/ think about Bill. Seemed strange.
I don't particularly recommend this book. I found nothing to relate to in it. However, the writer is obviously quite talented. I hope he doesn't spend his whole career on these types of characters, though I have a feeling he will.
Basic plot: Very rural Idaho. Early 1970s. Vietnam vet named Bandy goes a little crazy when he thinks his girlfriend has died in a fire, runs his car off the road in a drunken fit, then ends up killing a cop who comes to help/ arrest him. Turns out the girlfriend is pregnant with his child and wasn't actually in the fire. In fact, she was leaving him for another man, Bill. Bandy ends up going to jail for 18+ years.
Flash forward about 18 years. Tracy, the son, visits Bandy in jail. As the only other living relative of the family, Tracy wants to go back to the family farm to live. Bandy gives him permission and Tracy goes there to fix it up. It's very primitive. He has an accident that is the author's excuse for his mother to return to the farm. The stage is set for Bandy to return to the house with his ex-girlfriend and son in residence after getting out of prison. Bandy is beyond damaged, is dying of hepatitis C, and is just generally an unlikeable human being. The mother is not terribly sympathetic; her motivations though fairly clear are, I don't know, boring and whiny. The son is not all that believable. The son and mother had lived with Bill for the previous 18-odd years until he died (of some unknown cause that created lots of medical bills). We never hear the mother or son talk/ think about Bill. Seemed strange.
I don't particularly recommend this book. I found nothing to relate to in it. However, the writer is obviously quite talented. I hope he doesn't spend his whole career on these types of characters, though I have a feeling he will.
October 11, 2023
Bandy Dorner was a hard drinking, hard fighting man when he went to prison for murdering a police officer. Eighteen years later, he is a broken man with deteriorating health. Now as he is about to be released, he finds out he has a teenage son, Tracy, who wants to discover who his father is. Tracy’s mother Iona has never been there for her son, but when Tracy is severely injured, Bandy and Iona find themselves returning to the small rural Idaho town where it all began and ended so badly only to discover that the place they once knew was as changed as they were.
Then Came the Evening is a tragic character sketch of a dysfunctional family that can’t set the past aside to embrace the second chances they have been given. Brian Hart tells the story with a gritty, edgy voice which lends credibility to the harsh Idaho backcountry where clashes between new and old are frequent and sometimes violent. Much of the story revolves around Bandy and his fitful attempts to restart life as a free man when he can’t remember what life outside of prison is.
Not everything in Then Came the Evening works well. At times the dialog is stilted. Some of the descriptions become ponderous as Hart veers off course attempting to highlight a point. However, he writes with a certain patience that is refreshing. Rather than beat you over the head with turmoil, he allows the strain of their tragic lives to boil up slowly. As a character-driven novel, it took some time for the characters to actually come alive, but I found that the story really hit its stride in the second half of the book. In the end I found it to be a quite enjoyable book and a worthy read from a first-time author who should be watched for in the future.
Then Came the Evening is a tragic character sketch of a dysfunctional family that can’t set the past aside to embrace the second chances they have been given. Brian Hart tells the story with a gritty, edgy voice which lends credibility to the harsh Idaho backcountry where clashes between new and old are frequent and sometimes violent. Much of the story revolves around Bandy and his fitful attempts to restart life as a free man when he can’t remember what life outside of prison is.
Not everything in Then Came the Evening works well. At times the dialog is stilted. Some of the descriptions become ponderous as Hart veers off course attempting to highlight a point. However, he writes with a certain patience that is refreshing. Rather than beat you over the head with turmoil, he allows the strain of their tragic lives to boil up slowly. As a character-driven novel, it took some time for the characters to actually come alive, but I found that the story really hit its stride in the second half of the book. In the end I found it to be a quite enjoyable book and a worthy read from a first-time author who should be watched for in the future.
October 31, 2012
Bandy Dorner, home from Vietnam, awakes with his car mired in a canal, his cabin reduced to ashes, and his pregnant wife preparing to leave town with her lover. Within moments, a cop lies bleeding on the road.
Eighteen years later, Bandy is released from prison. His parents are gone, but on the derelict family ranch, Bandy faces a different reunion. Tracy, his now teen-aged son, has come to claim the father he’s never known. Iona, Bandy’s ex-wife, has returned on the heels of her son. All three are damaged, hardened, haunted. But warily, desperately, they move in a slow dance around each other, trying to piece back together a family that never was; trying to discover if they belong together at all.
Dollycas's Thoughts
I picked up this book for its setting. I needed a book set in Idaho for my Where Are You Reading? Challenge. I was pleasantly surprised by this solid debut.
These characters are broken and raw. Damaged by the circumstances of their lives and poor decisions they make their way back to the homestead in rural Idaho. Brandy from prison, Tracy wanted more out of his life, and Iona because her son needed her and frankly there was nothing in her life away she couldn't leave behind.
The story is dark and gritty and a bit intense in places. It is very well written. Never having been to Idaho the author took me there with his vivid descriptions. When I think of Idaho I think beautiful and serene. Hart takes us to the places a tourist would never see.
I am surprised this is the only book by the author. I would love to read more of his writing.
Eighteen years later, Bandy is released from prison. His parents are gone, but on the derelict family ranch, Bandy faces a different reunion. Tracy, his now teen-aged son, has come to claim the father he’s never known. Iona, Bandy’s ex-wife, has returned on the heels of her son. All three are damaged, hardened, haunted. But warily, desperately, they move in a slow dance around each other, trying to piece back together a family that never was; trying to discover if they belong together at all.
Dollycas's Thoughts
I picked up this book for its setting. I needed a book set in Idaho for my Where Are You Reading? Challenge. I was pleasantly surprised by this solid debut.
These characters are broken and raw. Damaged by the circumstances of their lives and poor decisions they make their way back to the homestead in rural Idaho. Brandy from prison, Tracy wanted more out of his life, and Iona because her son needed her and frankly there was nothing in her life away she couldn't leave behind.
The story is dark and gritty and a bit intense in places. It is very well written. Never having been to Idaho the author took me there with his vivid descriptions. When I think of Idaho I think beautiful and serene. Hart takes us to the places a tourist would never see.
I am surprised this is the only book by the author. I would love to read more of his writing.
January 30, 2011
The opening chapter for this book is a masterstroke of what I think of as "immersion fiction". The reader is dropped into the middle of a big scene with no introduction to the characters or the surroundings. A good writer is able to let you know just enough to make the scene interesting, but not too much so that you're compelled to go on with the book. The violent altercation that sets the wheels of Then Came the Evening does just that. A man is confronted by the police, people talk at each other rather than to them, and the world of Bandy Dorner changes drastically, all by his own hand (which in itself is unusual in most fiction these days). The story picks up almost 20 years later, Bandy has paid his price, and when he returns to his old life, some thing have changed drastically and unfortunately, some things have not changed at all. With a son he never met until he was grown and an exwife who is incapable of standing on her own, a half hearted attempt is made at starting a sort of family. The book loses a lot of steam when the exwife is center stage, Hart just doesn't write his female characters as active as his male characters. They're predictable and flat and drag down what would have been a more vivid story without them.
July 14, 2012
Then Came The Evening has a measured rhythm, ticking along at a sedate, reflective pace. In terms of sense of place, themes and characters it reminded me of the writing of Daniel Woodrell. And like Woodrell, Hart is a fine wordsmith. The characterisation is well observed and I particularly liked the awkward, stilted conversations between the three main characters; the way scenes unfolded in ways shaped by conflicting emotions and unexplained irrationalities. Hart also does a fine job of capturing the landscape of Idaho and the fine web of relationships in small communities. The only thing stopping this book from being a knockout is some of the plotting. I got the sense that so much time had been spent on the prose and characterisation that this ended up being a little neglected. A fraction ragged throughout, about two thirds of the way in the story started to unravel a little, particularly the thread following Bandy. That said, the story comes to a satisfactory resolution that isn’t clichéd. Overall, a book worth spending time with and enough promise to suggest that Hart might join Woodrell as a great writer of country noir.
February 15, 2011
I won this book!! Hooray for first-reads!! Thank you!!
This book was a family drama about how easily the choices we make can make our lives go completely awry. Pretty developed characters... I just think the ending lacked a bit.
This book was a family drama about how easily the choices we make can make our lives go completely awry. Pretty developed characters... I just think the ending lacked a bit.
June 18, 2018
In the midst of the harsh environment of Idaho, an Vietnamese soldier (now ex-con), Bandy Dorner, tries to figure out what he wants from life. He revisits his parents' home (a barren and stripped ranch), joined by his teenage son - Tracy, and ex-wife, Iona. All three of them attempt to make sense of their lives' purpose, the karmic influence of this unlikely reunion, and a bleak future that they can only hope for.
I persuaded myself to complete this novel so that I can have an unbiased opinion, but nothing could be further from the truth. The novel is slow, deliberately lazy, winds all over the place, and eventually leaves you feel doomed, bored, and just sad at the sheer waste of time!
I persuaded myself to complete this novel so that I can have an unbiased opinion, but nothing could be further from the truth. The novel is slow, deliberately lazy, winds all over the place, and eventually leaves you feel doomed, bored, and just sad at the sheer waste of time!
January 30, 2019
The plot and pacing have their flaws, but this is a great first novel of familial indebtedness. Are we always to owe those that came before us? Do we owe them love?
Recommended read.
Recommended read.
June 8, 2020
I actually couldn't finish this book. I was so distracted from the storyline by the amount of vulgar language used. I would not recommend.
February 4, 2015
"Accidents happen and afterwards it's just a matter of salvage. Maybe all the time it's a matter of getting what you can while you can, haul the lumber up the bank, save what you can from the fire. Let it go."
I don't remember how or why this debut novel by Brian Hart ended up on my to-read list, but it was a very unexpected read for me. The world of the novel (rural poverty and small-time crime) and the characters (their motives and choices) were completely alien to me. Far more alien than even many novels I've read taking place in other countries or even other worlds, where the themes and characters feel more 'universal' to humanity.
I just simply couldn't take Bandy, Iona and Tracy in stride. At first I was jarred. Then I was confused. Then I started planning my 2-star review. Then I finally let go of my tightly-clutched values and ideas about humanity and let Hart show me what it really means to struggle with life in small-town Idaho.
Hart's language here is simple, but also frequently run-together with well-thought-out repetition of words and phrases, particularly when he's expressing what characters are thinking. Over and over again I was struck by how shattered the three main characters were by their past. The novel is really about three damaged, broken people trying to love each other again, but they're afraid.
Over and over, sentences turn on a dime from love to hate/fear, from a tender sentiment to a violent one. Some examples:
"Sometimes when she looked at her son it felt as if her heart would be pulled through her chest; she could feel it move forward and beat against her ribs. It couldn't really happen, she knew that, but it felt like it could, like her heart was in a drawer and he opened it and there it was right there, a ball, as if made of string, about to be thrown. He has such a terrible power over me. There is no protection."
"Bandy looked at the boy: the smiling face that wasn't strange to him even though the two of them were indisputably strangers. He could hurt me, Bandy thought. The delicateness of the threat surprised him. It was like the virus he'd contracted, too small to see, easily killed until it was in you, then it was too late."
Hart is committed to making his point clear: for so many people life is constantly about picking up the pieces. It's about reaching out to others tentatively, ready to fight or run at any moment. He never once wavers. His characters catch no breaks; there are no miracles. I found an intense nugget of truth in their ultimate failure to be a family, and the fear and hate that slowly take away their hope that they can try.
"Tracy was filled with a real hatred for Bandy, one that he recognized as being saved for his mother and Bill, a familial hatred that could only rise from the shoulders of love. The hate made him feel legitimate instead of bastard; it gave him a sense of purpose."
"She couldn't see him as anything but a threat. He could take away everything she'd worked for, everything she loved. She sat for a long time and it hurt, her whole body hurt. She ached as Bandy pulled himself away from her. He was gone, dead and buried twenty years ago. There had only been flashes, shadows in the trees."
Ultimately, while this isn't my new favorite novel, my experience reading it is in a lot of ways the epitome of why I read. It was a jarring, then immersive experience that opened my eyes to a new world. I love, love, love when that happens; especially by surprise.
"They were the same men. They weren't different. They were low, damaged men, outliers: trespassers in this land of a million fences."
I don't remember how or why this debut novel by Brian Hart ended up on my to-read list, but it was a very unexpected read for me. The world of the novel (rural poverty and small-time crime) and the characters (their motives and choices) were completely alien to me. Far more alien than even many novels I've read taking place in other countries or even other worlds, where the themes and characters feel more 'universal' to humanity.
I just simply couldn't take Bandy, Iona and Tracy in stride. At first I was jarred. Then I was confused. Then I started planning my 2-star review. Then I finally let go of my tightly-clutched values and ideas about humanity and let Hart show me what it really means to struggle with life in small-town Idaho.
Hart's language here is simple, but also frequently run-together with well-thought-out repetition of words and phrases, particularly when he's expressing what characters are thinking. Over and over again I was struck by how shattered the three main characters were by their past. The novel is really about three damaged, broken people trying to love each other again, but they're afraid.
Over and over, sentences turn on a dime from love to hate/fear, from a tender sentiment to a violent one. Some examples:
"Sometimes when she looked at her son it felt as if her heart would be pulled through her chest; she could feel it move forward and beat against her ribs. It couldn't really happen, she knew that, but it felt like it could, like her heart was in a drawer and he opened it and there it was right there, a ball, as if made of string, about to be thrown. He has such a terrible power over me. There is no protection."
"Bandy looked at the boy: the smiling face that wasn't strange to him even though the two of them were indisputably strangers. He could hurt me, Bandy thought. The delicateness of the threat surprised him. It was like the virus he'd contracted, too small to see, easily killed until it was in you, then it was too late."
Hart is committed to making his point clear: for so many people life is constantly about picking up the pieces. It's about reaching out to others tentatively, ready to fight or run at any moment. He never once wavers. His characters catch no breaks; there are no miracles. I found an intense nugget of truth in their ultimate failure to be a family, and the fear and hate that slowly take away their hope that they can try.
"Tracy was filled with a real hatred for Bandy, one that he recognized as being saved for his mother and Bill, a familial hatred that could only rise from the shoulders of love. The hate made him feel legitimate instead of bastard; it gave him a sense of purpose."
"She couldn't see him as anything but a threat. He could take away everything she'd worked for, everything she loved. She sat for a long time and it hurt, her whole body hurt. She ached as Bandy pulled himself away from her. He was gone, dead and buried twenty years ago. There had only been flashes, shadows in the trees."
Ultimately, while this isn't my new favorite novel, my experience reading it is in a lot of ways the epitome of why I read. It was a jarring, then immersive experience that opened my eyes to a new world. I love, love, love when that happens; especially by surprise.
"They were the same men. They weren't different. They were low, damaged men, outliers: trespassers in this land of a million fences."
March 15, 2010
I've put off writing this review because I'm still not sure what I think of Then Came the Evening. In general, I'd say it's a good book; I've given it 3 stars, though I lean more towards 3.5. The descriptions of Idaho are well-done, the characters are mostly well-drawn, and the writing style did not fall victim to clichés and clutter, though I did have issues with sentence structure at times. While Then Came the Evening bears some of the hallmarks of a first novel, I also think it reveals genuine potential, and believe (and hope) that Brian Hart has a long and successful writing career ahead of him.
I cannot wholeheartedly recommend Then Came the Evening, however. More than anything, the passivity of the three main characters left me unsatisfied when I finished reading. Iona and Tracy at times show a hint of drive, but Bandy Dorner's almost complete surrender to circumstance nearly overshadows everything. Things just happen to him, and his response speaks of futility more than any other emotion. Sometimes being a victim of circumstance or being swept along by the current of life can make for compelling fiction, but this is not one of those times. I pity Bandy, but I don't care about him.
I also found Iona's characterization weak in comparison to those of Bandy and Tracy. I never got a sense for what motivates her to make the choices she does; while I appreciate not being subjected to several hundred pages of navel-gazing, I was left with more questions than answers by the end.
I think comparisons to Cormac McCarthy misrepresent both McCarthy and Hart. While the bleakness of both the narrative and the landscape does bear some resemblance to McCarthy, what distinguishes McCarthy in my mind is his use of the monstrous and the grotesque in his writing. There's nothing truly grotesque or monstrous about Then Came the Evening; it's just bleak and empty and stripped almost completely bare of hope. In that respect, comparisons to Annie Proulx might be more appropriate.
Despite my reservations about Then Came the Evening, I do believe that Brian Hart shows potential, and I look forward to further works from him.
I cannot wholeheartedly recommend Then Came the Evening, however. More than anything, the passivity of the three main characters left me unsatisfied when I finished reading. Iona and Tracy at times show a hint of drive, but Bandy Dorner's almost complete surrender to circumstance nearly overshadows everything. Things just happen to him, and his response speaks of futility more than any other emotion. Sometimes being a victim of circumstance or being swept along by the current of life can make for compelling fiction, but this is not one of those times. I pity Bandy, but I don't care about him.
I also found Iona's characterization weak in comparison to those of Bandy and Tracy. I never got a sense for what motivates her to make the choices she does; while I appreciate not being subjected to several hundred pages of navel-gazing, I was left with more questions than answers by the end.
I think comparisons to Cormac McCarthy misrepresent both McCarthy and Hart. While the bleakness of both the narrative and the landscape does bear some resemblance to McCarthy, what distinguishes McCarthy in my mind is his use of the monstrous and the grotesque in his writing. There's nothing truly grotesque or monstrous about Then Came the Evening; it's just bleak and empty and stripped almost completely bare of hope. In that respect, comparisons to Annie Proulx might be more appropriate.
Despite my reservations about Then Came the Evening, I do believe that Brian Hart shows potential, and I look forward to further works from him.
January 19, 2016
I won "Then Came the Evening" through Goodreads Free Reads.
"Then Came the Evening" is a novel that follows the lives of a dysfunctional family, trying to make right on past wrongs. There is Bandy, the Vietnam veteran with a murderous temper, his lover Iona, who decides to try to get her life together when she is well past her prime, and their illegitimate son, Tracy, who wants to connect with the father he never knew.
We follow these characters through drug addictions, spurts of violence, accidents, and the misfortune of being a poor, uneducated person in rural Idaho. If what you are looking for is a happy story, then this book is not for you. It is a grim look at a section of society that doesn't get told too often.
As a debut novel, Brian Hart shows a deft control of the English language. His descriptions are telling and his dialogue is terrific. The major problems I felt lie in the characters themselves. It was very hard for me to like any of the main characters. I found it almost impossible to muster any sense of feelings towards these characters, and while you may be led to sympathize with the characters, I found myself only pitying Tracy. There aren't too many secondary characters in the book, but when the appear, they seem to have more more flavor and character then the three main players.
I do look forward to more novels from Hart, as he shows the promise of a great story teller, and I am sure he will continue to grow.
"Then Came the Evening" is a novel that follows the lives of a dysfunctional family, trying to make right on past wrongs. There is Bandy, the Vietnam veteran with a murderous temper, his lover Iona, who decides to try to get her life together when she is well past her prime, and their illegitimate son, Tracy, who wants to connect with the father he never knew.
We follow these characters through drug addictions, spurts of violence, accidents, and the misfortune of being a poor, uneducated person in rural Idaho. If what you are looking for is a happy story, then this book is not for you. It is a grim look at a section of society that doesn't get told too often.
As a debut novel, Brian Hart shows a deft control of the English language. His descriptions are telling and his dialogue is terrific. The major problems I felt lie in the characters themselves. It was very hard for me to like any of the main characters. I found it almost impossible to muster any sense of feelings towards these characters, and while you may be led to sympathize with the characters, I found myself only pitying Tracy. There aren't too many secondary characters in the book, but when the appear, they seem to have more more flavor and character then the three main players.
I do look forward to more novels from Hart, as he shows the promise of a great story teller, and I am sure he will continue to grow.
December 20, 2009
In boxing, they say the right hook is the knock-out punch. The haymaker. But the left jab is the one that does all the work. It is quick, efficient, power-packed. The jab is the punch that takes all the juice out of the opponent. Brian Hart’s THEN CAME THE EVENING is a flurry of jabs, delivering the powerful stories of Bandy Dorner, his ex-wife, Iona, and Tracy, his son.
In the opening, Bandy kills a cop on the day his pregnant (unknown to Bandy) wife leaves with another man for Spokane, and his house burns to the ground.
Eighteen years later, Bandy’s son Tracy returns to Lake Fork, Idaho, the scene of Bandy’s crime and begins restoring the home of Bandy’s now deceased parents. In an effort to conquer his fear of heights, Tracy climbs onto the house’s icy roof and falls, crushing his legs. Iona, the crack-head, comes home to care for her son. Hepatitis C infected Bandy is released from prison and also returns home.
The three live in Bandy’s parents’ home, each injured physically and emotionally and struggle with the impossible task of restoring the jigsaw puzzle pieces of broken or non-existent relationships.
Brian Hart’s debut novel gives us the hope of seeing him join the heavyweights of the literary community.
In the opening, Bandy kills a cop on the day his pregnant (unknown to Bandy) wife leaves with another man for Spokane, and his house burns to the ground.
Eighteen years later, Bandy’s son Tracy returns to Lake Fork, Idaho, the scene of Bandy’s crime and begins restoring the home of Bandy’s now deceased parents. In an effort to conquer his fear of heights, Tracy climbs onto the house’s icy roof and falls, crushing his legs. Iona, the crack-head, comes home to care for her son. Hepatitis C infected Bandy is released from prison and also returns home.
The three live in Bandy’s parents’ home, each injured physically and emotionally and struggle with the impossible task of restoring the jigsaw puzzle pieces of broken or non-existent relationships.
Brian Hart’s debut novel gives us the hope of seeing him join the heavyweights of the literary community.
January 30, 2010
Then Came the Evening is a family drama that takes several dysfunctional characters and attempts to reunite them into a family unit. Bandy is a Vietnam vet newly released from prison with a violent past that includes shooting a police man. Ionna is the wife that left him and ran away with another man while unknowingly pregnant with his son. She's now a drug addict who turns tricks. Tracy is the son Bandy never knew he had who goes to visit him in prison to ask if he can stay in Bandy's old, falling down house.
The story takes place in rural Idaho in the rugged American West. This is a violent, rather bleak look at people you're probably glad you don't know. It's surpisingly well writen and the author does a superb job weaving this family's struggles into a story. The author doesn't write with a lot of flowery prose. He has a very bare writing style that somehow fits this story quite well.
If you're looking for a story with a happy ending, this isn't going to be it. It's a great read and the author's style kept the pages turning easily for me but I had a really hard time liking any of the characters in the story. I kept hoping they would somehow redeem themselves and it would all have a happy ending and that just didn't happen.
The story takes place in rural Idaho in the rugged American West. This is a violent, rather bleak look at people you're probably glad you don't know. It's surpisingly well writen and the author does a superb job weaving this family's struggles into a story. The author doesn't write with a lot of flowery prose. He has a very bare writing style that somehow fits this story quite well.
If you're looking for a story with a happy ending, this isn't going to be it. It's a great read and the author's style kept the pages turning easily for me but I had a really hard time liking any of the characters in the story. I kept hoping they would somehow redeem themselves and it would all have a happy ending and that just didn't happen.
December 26, 2009
This is my very first win from First reads, so I was very excited to read this book.
The premise of the book (man commits crime, is sent to jail, returns years later to a grown son and estranged wife, attempts to readjust to normal life) is what prompted me to enter to win this from First Reads and what kept me reading to the end.
I must admit that the earlier part of the novel felt a little slow for me. There were times when I felt Hart's sentences were a little clunky and awkward and I had to reread sentences several times. I also had a hard time finding a character I truly liked. By the end of the book, I had finally developed a sense of respect for Iona, a woman who deals with what life throw her way with as much strength as she can. The ending of the book offered the closure I was hoping for as a reader and it made up for any slowness that I had experienced in the earlier parts of the novel.
Although this wasn't my favorite book, I would be interested in checking out more of Hart's writing in the future.
The premise of the book (man commits crime, is sent to jail, returns years later to a grown son and estranged wife, attempts to readjust to normal life) is what prompted me to enter to win this from First Reads and what kept me reading to the end.
I must admit that the earlier part of the novel felt a little slow for me. There were times when I felt Hart's sentences were a little clunky and awkward and I had to reread sentences several times. I also had a hard time finding a character I truly liked. By the end of the book, I had finally developed a sense of respect for Iona, a woman who deals with what life throw her way with as much strength as she can. The ending of the book offered the closure I was hoping for as a reader and it made up for any slowness that I had experienced in the earlier parts of the novel.
Although this wasn't my favorite book, I would be interested in checking out more of Hart's writing in the future.
August 11, 2010
This years 'Great American Novel', although for me the title 'great' doesn’t really fit. Some of the characters are well created and believable (Bandy, Iona) but Tracey falls well short. Here's a kid, just 18, who appears to have been a weak kid in school, bullied, afraid of heights and yet can he can so easily set up home for himself in a derelict house in the middle of nowhere.
Bandy on the other hand is a damaged man who is involved in the dead of his friend and eventually a cop killer (He is only sentenced to 20 years prison which seems odd).
The pictures Hart creates with the Idaho landscape are well drawn and lends itself well to the bleakness of the story, however he does over indulge this gift and wastes a lot of pages in dealing with this.
Lasts years 'Great American Novel' was American Rust, which was a great novel.
Bandy on the other hand is a damaged man who is involved in the dead of his friend and eventually a cop killer (He is only sentenced to 20 years prison which seems odd).
The pictures Hart creates with the Idaho landscape are well drawn and lends itself well to the bleakness of the story, however he does over indulge this gift and wastes a lot of pages in dealing with this.
Lasts years 'Great American Novel' was American Rust, which was a great novel.
January 28, 2011
Then Came The Evening was a Goodreads win for me. Thank you! This is a story about three very dyfunctional people. Brandy who was a Viet Vet and killed a policeman, sent to prison then released, goes to live with his son he had recently found out he had. His exwife is also living in the house that Tracy, the son, was redoing. These three people seem to stay dyfunctional through the entire book, their choice of friends don't seem to be much better. I thought the book was slow, more detail on the scenery than I thought was needed, plus all the fights and tumbles Brandy took he seemed to survive them for some one that was deathly sick. Brandy dies from natural causes, Tracy moves out and on with an older women, Iona moves on once again but not until she tells her friend her burning secrets. Maybe Iona's ending part will be a start for another book by Brian Hart, as I felt the ending did leave me hanging.
January 27, 2011
This book is about people we all come across at some point and wonder how they got there- hardened, cynical, calloused, fighting their way through life. Bandy is a Viet Nam vet who returns but things just keep getting tougher. Iona is his wife who made a choice that caused consequences beyond what she could have imagined, and Tracy is their son who had high hopes for all of them. I love how author Brian Hart writes, the small details are amazing, like having a character dig the grease out from under his fingernails during a conversation. The problem for me with this story is that it was boring. While reading it, when I closed the book for a while the characters and their story never entered my head. I like a book that makes me think about it even when not reading it. This book wasn't anything like that. But I will try another of Brian Hart's books.
May 8, 2013
I usually don't like to read about the downtrodden. It's too depressing, but Mr. Hart kept me interested with some great turns of phrase and the character of Tracy. Tracy represents hope and determination, while his father Bandy goes into a death spiral. Iona, Tracy's mother, portrays redemption. Bandy suffers from PTSD and is a convicted murderer who has served his sentence. Iona is a meth addict and occasional prostitute. She's lost everything after the death of her lover. As soon as Tracy comes of age, he returns to Bandy's homestead where he finds the vacant house stripped to the pillars. All three are brought together in this home after Tracy falls from an icy roof in an attempt to overcome his acrophobia.
My favorite lines:
"Guilt you carry until it crushes you, self pity you spray like piss on everybody you love."
"With grandchildren came redemption."
My favorite lines:
"Guilt you carry until it crushes you, self pity you spray like piss on everybody you love."
"With grandchildren came redemption."
February 21, 2010
I don't remember how I chose this book - if it was a recommendation or I read an article about it - but I know I was interested.
Then Came the Evening takes place in Idaho and various other Northern locations - still I connected it with it. Lost people, people adrift in this world, unimportant to themselves or the grander world - these are my people. The story reminded me of home in Southern Louisiana. It wasn't because of the locale but the characters who found themselves in trouble and in hopeless situations that I felt I knew this place.
I loved this book. I don't know of anyone else who would. But I truly loved it. This book was about who I could have been. Once you've seen that life you never forget it. No matter that it isn't yours.
Then Came the Evening takes place in Idaho and various other Northern locations - still I connected it with it. Lost people, people adrift in this world, unimportant to themselves or the grander world - these are my people. The story reminded me of home in Southern Louisiana. It wasn't because of the locale but the characters who found themselves in trouble and in hopeless situations that I felt I knew this place.
I loved this book. I don't know of anyone else who would. But I truly loved it. This book was about who I could have been. Once you've seen that life you never forget it. No matter that it isn't yours.
May 11, 2011
One of the review excerpts in the back of this book described it as in the same style as Cormac McCarthy. I agree with that, and would also describe this book as similar in some ways to Willy Vlautin's novels. So I give the book four stars because, although it was good, I've read better. There are a few holes in the story line, and the ending is somewhat unsatisfactory (not in content, but in style -- there's a lot of dramatic build up to a rather quick and abrupt conclusion that does not resolve the matter entirely, or even seem like a logical place to conclude). That said, the concept is intriguing, and the characters original, and the writing is starkly beautiful at certain points (at others it seems to plod). Overall, I liked it a lot, thus, four stars.
January 22, 2010
The beginning of the story started slow. It was really good in general, but I had a hard time relating to the characters. The story just seemed to be lacking something to help with the attachment to them. The author gives glimpses into the backstory, but we never really get a good taste of why Iona is resentful of Bandy. I did like this story though, it is a heartbreaking story that tells about how much people want something, they just don't know how to get it. So, I gave this story three stars because I really enjoyed it. I just wish the author had given us a little more than the glimpses we got into the past of these characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2010
This dark family drama is a riveting read I found hard to put down. The bleak landscape, so well-drawn, provides the perfect backdrop for the story of Bandy, Tracy, and Iona. Reading this book, I couldn't help but reflect on how if put me in mind of No Country for Old Men- it has that same deftly rendered cinematic feel to the background. I was surprised by how invested I felt in these characters, whose lives are far outside my realm of experience. I was sorry when the book ended, because despite that lack of personal connection, I was drawn into the world Hart created. I certainly hope to read more by this talented author in the future.
March 4, 2011
What do relationships cost? And do you really get what you pay for? "Then Came the Evening" bulges from the weight of one family's discoveries and disenchantment. I didn't know these people, but I have a sweet understanding for them now. Brian Hart gives the reader just enough to fill in the blanks yet, never truly puts all the pieces in place. The thrill is in reading passage to passage as quickly as possible to learn the details. The scenery, the background, the daily struggles of isolation. And yet I'm left wondering, do I sing the praise of progression, or lament the decay of a singular family. Both feelings grip my heart and will keep me thinking a long time to come.
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