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The Wide Night Sky
Leland Littlefield thinks he has a happy family. But the cracks are beginning to show. His wife of twenty-three years, Anna Grace, is distant and drifting further away, his adult children are busy handling their own victories and disasters, and everyone is becoming increasingly alienated from one another.But Leland's struggles run deeper than a troubled home life. When he spends a pleasant evening alone with his son's quirky, bearded piano teacher, Scott, he is forced to grapple with unexpected feelings. Leland has always considered himself bisexual, but he has never acted on his attraction to men—that is, until a spontaneous, awkward kiss with Scott brings to light many of Leland's deepest fears and desires.Leland is Should he be true to himself and pursue a relationship with Scott? Or, would coming out finally push Anna Grace over the edge? Would his kids, so wrapped up in their own romances, careers, and emotional issues, be willing to accept him? Will their family, meant to be a refuge from the world, fall apart?
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 4, 2015
95 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
September 25, 2017
My advice, ignore the synopsis of this book (IMO it’s misleading). This is a book about family and finding the courage to be true to oneself. Absorbing, enjoyable, frustrating and somewhat open ended.
Worth a read.
*4 Stars*
Worth a read.
*4 Stars*
May 20, 2015
For me, the absolute best thing about this book is the realism of the writing, the little things. You feel like you are really THERE without it being two paragraphs of meandering physical description. In many ways, this story reads like an expose on an entire family. You can argue that Leland is the main actor, but almost every other member of his family (wife, kids) receive the same amount of POV "air time" as him. In the end, you are left with many more questions about this dysfunctional family than you received answers, but I think it is well worth it. For me, it sort of feels like an introduction to a longer story and makes me hope there will be a second, perhaps to wrap things up for everyone.
Be warned, however, that there is no real plot here, per se. It's not that kind of story. It's like when someone is telling you a story about how something "is" rather than about "what happened", if that makes any sense.
Be warned, however, that there is no real plot here, per se. It's not that kind of story. It's like when someone is telling you a story about how something "is" rather than about "what happened", if that makes any sense.
October 12, 2021
A family drama as an open window into the souls of its members and protagonists. Contemporary and enjoyable.
September 11, 2016
3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. It was a little too high on the drama thing, like there was some parts where it went a bit over the top, there were some situations where drama just appeared to be there for the sake of just drama. Like the author didn't really know how to progress in a different way, trying something else. But still, I enjoyed it.
The story itself (overly-dramatic shades aside) was very realistic, and the conflicts were easily relatable. One big fucked-up family, with its members all finding themselves immersed in their own private bubble of shit, who end up coming together eventually, in a believable pace, when a series of things seem to unfold all at once, like the planets aligned to fuck these people up real nice.
The characters, although at first they seemed a bit too artificial, had a nice development, like the author found the right path into building them somewhere along the way. Also, their personal struggles, their inner conflicts and such, helped them show their humanity.
I would recommend, though, that the blurb may be revised, since (or maybe it was just me?) I felt like I dived into a very different book than I was expecting to, after reading what it was supposed to be about.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a little too high on the drama thing, like there was some parts where it went a bit over the top, there were some situations where drama just appeared to be there for the sake of just drama. Like the author didn't really know how to progress in a different way, trying something else. But still, I enjoyed it.
The story itself (overly-dramatic shades aside) was very realistic, and the conflicts were easily relatable. One big fucked-up family, with its members all finding themselves immersed in their own private bubble of shit, who end up coming together eventually, in a believable pace, when a series of things seem to unfold all at once, like the planets aligned to fuck these people up real nice.
The characters, although at first they seemed a bit too artificial, had a nice development, like the author found the right path into building them somewhere along the way. Also, their personal struggles, their inner conflicts and such, helped them show their humanity.
I would recommend, though, that the blurb may be revised, since (or maybe it was just me?) I felt like I dived into a very different book than I was expecting to, after reading what it was supposed to be about.
December 11, 2023
I’ve read award-winning literary fiction that hasn’t evoked a family as well as this book does. It’s understated and poignant, lovely and funny. It’s also accidentally low key one of the best books I’ve read on war/PTSD. Each family member has their own voice and the way their POVs layer and overlap— an offhand comment from one casts the story of another in a new light— is impressive as hell. And all of that without being showy or overcomplicated.
Sometimes books feel like fate, dropping into your life at just the right moment, which is what this one does. And not just because it takes place in October through December. I keep a list of writers I’d publish if I owned a small press; Matt Dean is now on the list.
Soon, she thought— the sooner, the better— she would have to sit in privacy and silence and rewrite the history of her family. The stories she’d always told herself, the roles in which she’d cast her parents and her brothers— they’d been only about three-quarters correct.
May 23, 2016
Good story about a family where the children seem--remarkably well-adjusted given their dysfunctional parents. The story and characters stuck with me after I finished, which is a sign the author did something right.
January 9, 2018
A family drama; all adults with adult issues.
Leland, the father is struggling with a realisation about his sexuality. He’s a historical writer caught between projects and wants to write a novel about the transit of Venus and people who were also interested in it, but his forte is local history. He also has some health issues; a night in hospital after he fainted and couldn’t be revived.
That night was his 50th birthday and his wife, Anna Grace, still held his birthday party… without him and then couldn’t sit by his bedside; she had a party to host.
That pretty much tells you everything about her. She’s an opera singer who is past her prime, voice wise, and she’s struggling with alcoholism. Which came first, the vocal damage or the alcoholism? Like all addicts, she believes she’s hiding it from everyone. She held the party so that she could drink without looking out of place. Her children, used to the irregularities of life with an ‘artist’ note even this is weird for Mum.
Corinne, the eldest has been married six months and it’s not going well. She struggles with giving up her education to try to be a parent. To make matters worse, her husband is commuting to an out of state job. If he makes it permanent, they’ll have to move.
Ben is defusing IEDs, picking up pieces of soldiers with tweezers and counting the days until he can go home.
John Carter is at music school, trying to hold down temp jobs, and starting to date.
***
As I read it I wondered if Dean has read a lot of Ann Tyler, only to see he’s listed her as an influence.
It covers September to June of the family, and it’s not a good year. But it is a pivot year. Things change; sometimes abruptly. Sometimes for the better.
It’s beautifully written; evocative descriptions. So many things I nodded my head at. How you often remember what people said to you in an argument, not what you said to them.
Curse the kobo app - I can’t copy passages… and it isn’t on Amazon.
It’s a world of music and people who see messages in opera. He describes Shostakovitch as small untamed animals clomping up and down a keyboard… bwahaha.
I think the genre threw a few people who expected a gay romance… it has some elements of that as Leland experiments. I reckon it’s lit fiction and worth a read.
4 stars
Leland, the father is struggling with a realisation about his sexuality. He’s a historical writer caught between projects and wants to write a novel about the transit of Venus and people who were also interested in it, but his forte is local history. He also has some health issues; a night in hospital after he fainted and couldn’t be revived.
That night was his 50th birthday and his wife, Anna Grace, still held his birthday party… without him and then couldn’t sit by his bedside; she had a party to host.
That pretty much tells you everything about her. She’s an opera singer who is past her prime, voice wise, and she’s struggling with alcoholism. Which came first, the vocal damage or the alcoholism? Like all addicts, she believes she’s hiding it from everyone. She held the party so that she could drink without looking out of place. Her children, used to the irregularities of life with an ‘artist’ note even this is weird for Mum.
Corinne, the eldest has been married six months and it’s not going well. She struggles with giving up her education to try to be a parent. To make matters worse, her husband is commuting to an out of state job. If he makes it permanent, they’ll have to move.
Ben is defusing IEDs, picking up pieces of soldiers with tweezers and counting the days until he can go home.
John Carter is at music school, trying to hold down temp jobs, and starting to date.
***
As I read it I wondered if Dean has read a lot of Ann Tyler, only to see he’s listed her as an influence.
It covers September to June of the family, and it’s not a good year. But it is a pivot year. Things change; sometimes abruptly. Sometimes for the better.
It’s beautifully written; evocative descriptions. So many things I nodded my head at. How you often remember what people said to you in an argument, not what you said to them.
Curse the kobo app - I can’t copy passages… and it isn’t on Amazon.
It’s a world of music and people who see messages in opera. He describes Shostakovitch as small untamed animals clomping up and down a keyboard… bwahaha.
I think the genre threw a few people who expected a gay romance… it has some elements of that as Leland experiments. I reckon it’s lit fiction and worth a read.
4 stars
June 9, 2022
A family collapses and re-forms. That's it, that's the story, told from each family member's perspective, a different point of view in each chapter. So this isn't the book for you if you dislike that kind of narrative, but luckily the rest of us needn't miss out.
As a rule, when a story's told from the perspective of multiple characters, I'll get attached to one and feel mildly displeased when the narrative turns to another. Not here -- Leland, Anna Grace, Ben, Corinne, and John Carter were all fully realized in their griefs, their angers, their travel toward love and/or honesty and/or freedom (and in one case, toward death: which is barely a spoiler). How to put it? I wanted to know what was going on with them!
The relationship between Corinne and her husband, Andrei, is just so well done; you can see him teetering on the precipice between being supportive and being overbearing. He's a decent man, he clearly loves Corinne, and yet every interaction between them is wrong.
I was going to write that for me, personally, Leland was the most compelling character; but then I thought "What about John Carter? What about Corinne? What about Ben?" (Yeah, okay, Anna Grace is out of the running on this score -- but toward the very end we learn three things about her that cast everything else we've seen in a different light. At least, that's how it was for me.)
Did I mention that the language is beautiful without being in the least overwritten? (God, that ending. Glorious.) Did I mention that many bits of dialogue made me laugh?
(I'm boggling again at the discovery that Dean's The River in Winter is also free. How possible. How?
This is a wonderful book. I finished it a few hours ago but I'm still living in it.
As a rule, when a story's told from the perspective of multiple characters, I'll get attached to one and feel mildly displeased when the narrative turns to another. Not here -- Leland, Anna Grace, Ben, Corinne, and John Carter were all fully realized in their griefs, their angers, their travel toward love and/or honesty and/or freedom (and in one case, toward death: which is barely a spoiler). How to put it? I wanted to know what was going on with them!
The relationship between Corinne and her husband, Andrei, is just so well done; you can see him teetering on the precipice between being supportive and being overbearing. He's a decent man, he clearly loves Corinne, and yet every interaction between them is wrong.
I was going to write that for me, personally, Leland was the most compelling character; but then I thought "What about John Carter? What about Corinne? What about Ben?" (Yeah, okay, Anna Grace is out of the running on this score -- but toward the very end we learn three things about her that cast everything else we've seen in a different light. At least, that's how it was for me.)
Did I mention that the language is beautiful without being in the least overwritten? (God, that ending. Glorious.) Did I mention that many bits of dialogue made me laugh?
(I'm boggling again at the discovery that Dean's The River in Winter is also free. How possible. How?
This is a wonderful book. I finished it a few hours ago but I'm still living in it.
July 14, 2018
New to me author. This was a modern story about a family finding their way in life. Expectations verses inner feelings. This book has a few elements of mm but not enough to be listed in this grouping, in my opinion. I enjoyed Ben’s story best.
May 30, 2019
I loved this book. Partly, it's because I'm a sucker for a dysfunctional family recounted in a good turn of phrase. But slipping into these characters was my favorite thing. I found them and their reactions each in turns endearing and frustrating and, most importantly of all, beautiful in their realistic and contradictory complexities.
September 29, 2016
This is a surprisingly well written book - especially since it's available for free on Amazon Kindle. The writer gives each character a separate narrative, and does a good job of making them distinguishable - separate chapters in the book have completely different personalities. It all comes together rather nicely to tell the story of a family and the various issues they're going through. The writer also does a good job of letting the characters do what they're going to do, without offering moral judgement.
On the other hand, each character is too much of a stereotype, i.e. the career-oriented mother, the push over father, the mothering big sister, hopeless younger brother etc. There's a lot of philosophical musings in the narrative, which sometimes works, but at least in one place it was very, very overdone, and descended into nonsensical rambling. The father's struggles with his sexuality relies on a very transparent plot device (not elaborating to avoid spoilers) to create tension, which ruins the effect of immersion in the story somewhat.
Confused as to why the blurb mentions the lead character being bisexual - in the story he comes out as gay. Anyway, perhaps I'm being a bit too lenient here, but 3 stars since I did enjoy the book.
On the other hand, each character is too much of a stereotype, i.e. the career-oriented mother, the push over father, the mothering big sister, hopeless younger brother etc. There's a lot of philosophical musings in the narrative, which sometimes works, but at least in one place it was very, very overdone, and descended into nonsensical rambling. The father's struggles with his sexuality relies on a very transparent plot device (not elaborating to avoid spoilers) to create tension, which ruins the effect of immersion in the story somewhat.
Confused as to why the blurb mentions the lead character being bisexual - in the story he comes out as gay. Anyway, perhaps I'm being a bit too lenient here, but 3 stars since I did enjoy the book.
August 27, 2016
I started this book, read a little, paused, read some more and almost gave up. I'm glad that I didn't.
The Wide Night Sky is a story about a family, which against all odds, after everything, survives. It is all about finding out who you really are and that goes to the whole Littlefield's family, not just the father Leland. But him acknowledging that he's gay is just part of the story, not all of the story.
The book has multiple POV's, all equally important and all equally strong written. And that what adds to the allure of this book. Everyone gets a voice.
Matt Dean has written a raw and honest book. And here's no judgement, no stance on what is right or wrong, Dean has written like a scribe, documenting events as they occur. This is what life is about, no sugarcoating the shit but in the other hand appreciating the little things, the small details that make living worthwhile.
The Wide Night Sky is a story about a family, which against all odds, after everything, survives. It is all about finding out who you really are and that goes to the whole Littlefield's family, not just the father Leland. But him acknowledging that he's gay is just part of the story, not all of the story.
The book has multiple POV's, all equally important and all equally strong written. And that what adds to the allure of this book. Everyone gets a voice.
Matt Dean has written a raw and honest book. And here's no judgement, no stance on what is right or wrong, Dean has written like a scribe, documenting events as they occur. This is what life is about, no sugarcoating the shit but in the other hand appreciating the little things, the small details that make living worthwhile.
December 6, 2020
**4 stars**
Ok. I don't always read reviews before I start a book, as was the case this time. I was expecting a romance.
So... this was still a very worthwhile read about a family going through very difficult changes in their lives. There were many POVs, as told by each member of the family.
It's not a pretty story, but what family doesn't have their ups and downs? their bumps in the road?
Even though I was waiting for a nice romance to develop, I enjoyed the story as written. There's hope for this family.
Nicely done.
Ok. I don't always read reviews before I start a book, as was the case this time. I was expecting a romance.
So... this was still a very worthwhile read about a family going through very difficult changes in their lives. There were many POVs, as told by each member of the family.
It's not a pretty story, but what family doesn't have their ups and downs? their bumps in the road?
Even though I was waiting for a nice romance to develop, I enjoyed the story as written. There's hope for this family.
Nicely done.
April 2, 2018
I got this book as a free download and didn’t read it for the longest time. When I started I almost set it down because it wasn’t what I was expecting at all. After I got into it I truly began to care for this messed up family and what happens to them. I can understand why some people will be put off by the writing style, but I think Matt Dean has a real gift.
April 24, 2017
Not at all what I was expecting, but it was a good surprise. A very well thought out book. I look forward to reading this author again.
Four Stars!
Four Stars!
June 20, 2022
I loved this book the first time I read it in 2016. Upon rereading, I'm still in love with it. This is an entirely character-driven story that follows each of 5 family members. It's an emotional, winding road through sense of self, through loss and grief, and through the little lies people tell and live in homage to the veneer of contentment and stability.
*For the one or two people who might read my reviews when they pop up on your GR feed, this book is a complete departure from my norm. It's not a romance, is emotional and angsty, and ends with only the hope the characters are better off than at the beginning, rather than a firm HEA. I often don't even list my literary dives on GR, but occasionally I mention one that grabbed me.
*For the one or two people who might read my reviews when they pop up on your GR feed, this book is a complete departure from my norm. It's not a romance, is emotional and angsty, and ends with only the hope the characters are better off than at the beginning, rather than a firm HEA. I often don't even list my literary dives on GR, but occasionally I mention one that grabbed me.
July 4, 2023
A good book, but the description is a bit misleading. It’s a portrait of a family, not a romance. Scott only shows up on four separate occasions; the first occasion doesn’t even include Leland. There is a hug in the second scene, a brief kiss in the third scene, the possibility for romance in the final scene — but that’s not enough to make a romance. What the book is really about is family secrets, change, and death (threat of death, fear of death, death itself). It is well-written. The five members of the family are each given their own scenes and so we get to see their thought processes, their own emotional struggles, their questioning of who they are, and their perspectives on what’s going on with other people in the family.
April 22, 2020
My expectations for this book were low when I started reading, since it was a free Kindle download and the other free downloads I'd read before it weren't that great. But I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I thought the writing was good, and I liked how the book explored everyone in the Littlefield family, not just Leland.
"A Wide Night Sky" by Matt Dean isn't just able Leland exploring his sexuality as a married man with grown children, but every member of his family is dealing with their own issues that all felt very real. I liked that the book didn't focus on just Leland.
"A Wide Night Sky" by Matt Dean isn't just able Leland exploring his sexuality as a married man with grown children, but every member of his family is dealing with their own issues that all felt very real. I liked that the book didn't focus on just Leland.
December 18, 2022
Excellent read! The writing is fantastic and the story is engaging. Interesting and complex characters who go through life challenges as they discover more about themselves. Each chapter shifts the point of view between 5 immediate family members (husband, wife, & 3 adult children). All are finding their way to their own happiness while unpacking the past that influenced how they arrived at their current transitions. There are no neat beginning nor a clear end, more like a dip into the streams of their intertwined rivers at a series of tumultuous rapids.
January 13, 2017
Excellent writing style. Definitely not what I was expecting from the description - but I'm not complaining, it was definitely a good read. I liked that the story went into detail for every character, and each character existed on their own, not just in relation to Leland (the main character). The story was less about Leland's struggle with his sexuality than it was an exploration of his marriage and his kids.
April 17, 2023
I felt the blurb was a bit misrepresentative of the book; maybe 25% of the total is actually devoted to Leland and his attraction to his son's piano teacher. The rest is about his family's struggles: his daughter's failing marriage, the horrors his one son endured in Afghanistan with the military, his other son's struggle to find his personality beneath an overbearing mother, and said mother's struggle with alcoholism.
Regardless, it is a well-written family drama and kept my attention throughout. I felt things wrapped up a little too conveniently and in a way that meant nobody had to face the consequences of their actions, but sometimes life is just like that.
Regardless, it is a well-written family drama and kept my attention throughout. I felt things wrapped up a little too conveniently and in a way that meant nobody had to face the consequences of their actions, but sometimes life is just like that.
January 20, 2021
Enjoyable read
The book was very hard at the beginning to get into it. It is told from five people different point of use so sometimes that made it drag on a little bit. I’m glad I stuck with it because I really enjoyed it.
The book was very hard at the beginning to get into it. It is told from five people different point of use so sometimes that made it drag on a little bit. I’m glad I stuck with it because I really enjoyed it.
November 27, 2021
The author gets into the heads of the characters very well, and drew my sympathy to them. A really good story of the drama of normal people's lives, I'd read more by him happily. Some strands/elements didn't do much for me, like about the sun, but most of it was really engaging.
December 8, 2024
The dynamics of a family!
He is gay, she is an alcoholic! They have the children! The oldest child is married! The second is a marine third I school! Adults only! Enjoy this story!
He is gay, she is an alcoholic! They have the children! The oldest child is married! The second is a marine third I school! Adults only! Enjoy this story!
January 13, 2021
Difficult disjointed read. Finished the book only because I made myself. Not what I expected.
July 18, 2017
If I wasn't feeling so very lazy, I would scroll through all the reviews this book has received and send an appreciative nod in the direction of the person who said that the story this book delivers isn't really the story mentioned in the blurb. But that's not to say that the story I found is bad, not at all.
Just unexpected.
Dean has attempted to weave together a story of 5 experiences, and he has succeeded with an admirable amount of finesse. Each character has their own distinct voice, and most have enough depth so as to not be jarring to the reader. Unfortunately, just because the characters read enough like people doesn't mean that they're necessarily characters you can enjoy or root for. I found Leland almost gratingly naive at points, and the matriarch-whose-name-I-have-since-forgotten surely existed only to tempt me to start tearing my hair out. For a story that focuses heavily on the drama unfolding in the parental relationship, I found the kids often had the most compelling voices.
I wish I had more to say about Dean's novel, especially because I was able to download it for free from the Amazon store, but it's been a while since I actually finished it and I made only one note for this review: the word 'lugubrious', which seemed to keep reappearing behind every other page like a clown in a fairground haunted house. I only wish I'd counted how many times I had to open google to look the word up, but maybe someone else will see this and do the honours for me.
In all, it's really not a bad book, and I think it would definitely be hard to be offended by it when the author is literally giving it away. Is it my new favourite book? Definitely not. Will I read it again? Potentially, providing I leave it long enough to forget the smaller irritations, and honestly, I'm probably about half way there.
Just unexpected.
Dean has attempted to weave together a story of 5 experiences, and he has succeeded with an admirable amount of finesse. Each character has their own distinct voice, and most have enough depth so as to not be jarring to the reader. Unfortunately, just because the characters read enough like people doesn't mean that they're necessarily characters you can enjoy or root for. I found Leland almost gratingly naive at points, and the matriarch-whose-name-I-have-since-forgotten surely existed only to tempt me to start tearing my hair out. For a story that focuses heavily on the drama unfolding in the parental relationship, I found the kids often had the most compelling voices.
I wish I had more to say about Dean's novel, especially because I was able to download it for free from the Amazon store, but it's been a while since I actually finished it and I made only one note for this review: the word 'lugubrious', which seemed to keep reappearing behind every other page like a clown in a fairground haunted house. I only wish I'd counted how many times I had to open google to look the word up, but maybe someone else will see this and do the honours for me.
In all, it's really not a bad book, and I think it would definitely be hard to be offended by it when the author is literally giving it away. Is it my new favourite book? Definitely not. Will I read it again? Potentially, providing I leave it long enough to forget the smaller irritations, and honestly, I'm probably about half way there.
April 1, 2025
Going to reread
November 12, 2016
What a great read. Great the way he brings sling multiple journeys. Took me a while to get into it as for me I fall for some characters quicker than others and found myself getting impatient with the shift of character until I can say, lived all of the.
There are many books that you end a review asking when the sequel will be. This is one not. Loved it and I know it will one of those books I'll pick up every now and again.
There are many books that you end a review asking when the sequel will be. This is one not. Loved it and I know it will one of those books I'll pick up every now and again.
March 19, 2017
I loved this book; it felt so real. The plot was interesting, funny, sad, beautiful, stressful... so many emotions and situations. The flow of the narration was wonderful and the characters were incredibly well portrayed. I wasn't expecting to love the book as much as I did; it was a delightful surprise. Wonderfully narrated. <3
December 24, 2019
This book was unusual for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.... It was an awesome read. Happy times, scary moments, not as in horror scary, but scary. Sad, and oh no is it going to be okay moments. Thoughtful moments. Well anyways the characters all were going through their own battles and acceptance of life and themselves. Give it a read...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews