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Rainlight
The family and friends of Starr Williams examine their lives and their relationships with one another when a tragedy strikes their Adirondack community
- GenresFictionLiterature
177 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
8 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Alison McGhee
54 books402 followersAlison McGhee writes novels, picture books, poems, and essays for all ages, including the just-published THE OPPOSITE OF FATE, a novel, and the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestseller SOMEDAY, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Her work has been translated into more than 20 languages. She lives in Minneapolis and California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
July 12, 2012
"They're born and your life expands, it bulges with their presence for the rest of your days. They change you in every way you can think of, they push mountains up on the horizon and make canyons and valleys in the terrain of your life. But what you don't realize until later, what is unimaginably difficult to see, is that you cannot will your children's fates."
This is a serious read that centers around the death of a father and the effects it has on those closest to him. Each chapter is told by another person which places you directly inside their head, revealing much of what has made them who they are along with the secrets they have. It also personalizes their grief and how they each struggle to deal with his death. Especially heartbreaking is what his daughter, Mallie, goes through in trying to make sense of this tragedy.
The reason I liked this book is because it shows how complicated people and relationships are. Life is not neat and tidy. There's a lot that goes on beneath the surface in everyone around us and we never truly know what that is.
This is a serious read that centers around the death of a father and the effects it has on those closest to him. Each chapter is told by another person which places you directly inside their head, revealing much of what has made them who they are along with the secrets they have. It also personalizes their grief and how they each struggle to deal with his death. Especially heartbreaking is what his daughter, Mallie, goes through in trying to make sense of this tragedy.
The reason I liked this book is because it shows how complicated people and relationships are. Life is not neat and tidy. There's a lot that goes on beneath the surface in everyone around us and we never truly know what that is.
Read
May 6, 2022Very sweet, sad and sentimental. Weird timing with Don’s sudden passing 😥
P. 63
“There are things that you were going to say but you didn’t. There’s the rest of your life to say them, you think. But there isn’t.”
P. 63
“There are things that you were going to say but you didn’t. There’s the rest of your life to say them, you think. But there isn’t.”
September 26, 2022
Alison McGhee did an incredible job of moving between narrators, moving forward in time yet allowing the reader a clear glimpse of each of their pasts. Each narrator was strong and essential to the story. A tragic but beautiful book.
June 8, 2018
One of the best books I have read. About life, community, forgiveness, and love.
February 10, 2019
Excellent book.
July 20, 2020
3.5-4.0
March 31, 2012
This was the fifth book I read for my Introduction to College Literature class and so far the most contemporary. This is a great book to read for class because it was full of symbolism and imagery, and it really makes the reader respond.
The novel is told from the point of view of four characters but primarily revolves around Mallie, a nine-year-old girl whose father Starr has recently died in an accident, leaving her searching for answers in all the wrong places. We watch these characters (which include Mallie's mother Lucia, her grandfather Tim, and her father's ex-lover Crystal) change and grow after Starr's death, even though there isn't a lot of action in the novel and there was no primary conflict. No truths were found and nothing was resolved. Things just slowly changed and it was up to the reader to notice the little things, like what a certain color symbolizes or what a certain song means.
I agree with the other reviewers. It was hard to keep track of who was related to who and how, and it took too long to figure out who everyone was. I also didn't see Mallie as a believable young girl. She was too precocious for her age and she should have been about twelve or thirteen. But it was a quick read and I hope I can have fun discussing it in class.
The novel is told from the point of view of four characters but primarily revolves around Mallie, a nine-year-old girl whose father Starr has recently died in an accident, leaving her searching for answers in all the wrong places. We watch these characters (which include Mallie's mother Lucia, her grandfather Tim, and her father's ex-lover Crystal) change and grow after Starr's death, even though there isn't a lot of action in the novel and there was no primary conflict. No truths were found and nothing was resolved. Things just slowly changed and it was up to the reader to notice the little things, like what a certain color symbolizes or what a certain song means.
I agree with the other reviewers. It was hard to keep track of who was related to who and how, and it took too long to figure out who everyone was. I also didn't see Mallie as a believable young girl. She was too precocious for her age and she should have been about twelve or thirteen. But it was a quick read and I hope I can have fun discussing it in class.
December 14, 2007
"You think there's time. I always thought there was. I thought that someday I would talk, tell [her] the things I wanted to tell her, the bits of shape and color and sound that were what came to me when I thought of her. At night when she was asleep I smelled he hair. There was a smell of leaves and nutmeg that came from her when she was asleep. I could ahve told her that. I thought I would someday, but then she was gone."
"There are things you were going to say but you didn't. There's the rest of your life to say them, you think. But there isn't."
"They're born and your life expands, it bulges with their presence for the rest of your days. They change you in every way you can think of, they push mountains up on the horizon and make canyons and valleys in the terrain of your life. But what you don't realize until later, what is unimaginably difficult to see, is that you cannot will your children's fates."
"There are lives you were going to live but you didn't. Unlived, they take shelter in your soul. They feed off the hungers you don't talk about... nothing turns out how you think it will; you make your plans but the world makes others."
"There are things you were going to say but you didn't. There's the rest of your life to say them, you think. But there isn't."
"They're born and your life expands, it bulges with their presence for the rest of your days. They change you in every way you can think of, they push mountains up on the horizon and make canyons and valleys in the terrain of your life. But what you don't realize until later, what is unimaginably difficult to see, is that you cannot will your children's fates."
"There are lives you were going to live but you didn't. Unlived, they take shelter in your soul. They feed off the hungers you don't talk about... nothing turns out how you think it will; you make your plans but the world makes others."
June 2, 2021
This is a story of two families living in North Sterns, NY (near Utica) and their tragic lives. Mallie is 9 and has a 3 year old brother, Charlie. Her father, Starr, married Lucia, who stole him from Crystal. Crystal secretly bore his child, Johnny, who has cerebral palsy. When young, Lucia's mother, Olivia, had an affair with Starr's father Tim - just before her husband killed her and then committed suicide. Starr is killed pushing Johnny out of traffic at the start of the novel and by the end we learn he knew the secret.
I always appreciate a book that changes voices with each chapter. Here, we hear from all the main characters - with one small, but critical paragraph in Johnny's voice. Every part of the characters' pasts came full circle in the end - nothing was left open (except the big question of why Starr never told Crystal he knew about Johnny) The whole story is totally tragic - from Mallie who can't let go, to Lucia's guilt over stealing Starr, to Crystal putting Johnny in a home, to Tim losing everyone and being clueless about Johnny.
I always appreciate a book that changes voices with each chapter. Here, we hear from all the main characters - with one small, but critical paragraph in Johnny's voice. Every part of the characters' pasts came full circle in the end - nothing was left open (except the big question of why Starr never told Crystal he knew about Johnny) The whole story is totally tragic - from Mallie who can't let go, to Lucia's guilt over stealing Starr, to Crystal putting Johnny in a home, to Tim losing everyone and being clueless about Johnny.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2011
I had to read this book slowly to “get it”, but that’s not a bad thing.
When I first started it, I was a little distracted, and after reading about the first 8 or 10 pages, I really didn’t know what had happened, but I was curious.
So I started over, when I could totally focus (as I should have been doing the first time anyway), and what developed was a lovely telling of a mostly sad story. All of the characters have secrets, or guilt, or regret, and each chapter is told by one of them, and lets you in on a little more of their story. Most of it revolves around the death of one character, who was connected to them all, in more ways than they all knew at first.
I really enjoyed "Shadow Baby" by this author, and this one was very sweet, too.
When I first started it, I was a little distracted, and after reading about the first 8 or 10 pages, I really didn’t know what had happened, but I was curious.
So I started over, when I could totally focus (as I should have been doing the first time anyway), and what developed was a lovely telling of a mostly sad story. All of the characters have secrets, or guilt, or regret, and each chapter is told by one of them, and lets you in on a little more of their story. Most of it revolves around the death of one character, who was connected to them all, in more ways than they all knew at first.
I really enjoyed "Shadow Baby" by this author, and this one was very sweet, too.
June 17, 2025
What a beautifully written book about 4 people dealing with grief and keeping their own secrets. Told from the point of view of 4 different characters, each of whom is so well developed. Their journeys are painful, yet necessary. My only complaint is that McGhee doesn't use quotation marks, so it is sometimes difficult to tell if the character is actually saying or just thinking the words. The book also jumps around a lot in time, sometimes from one paragraph to the next, so you have to stop and think about the sequence of events and how it all fits together.
June 27, 2010
The character development was weak. I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. I also thought the author didn't have a grasp on the abilities of a 9 year old and 3 year old. Chinese is a hard language to grasp and I had a hard time believing that a 9 year old could become conversant in a few months. Otherwise, the story was a nice one.
June 18, 2012
Short, searing story of tragically unfulfilled desire and wrong turns in life. Read for Contemporary Book Group. Some members of the group found the plot had too many coincidences and too much tragedy, and one person thought the ideas were new agey (what a put down!) I found the book to be moving and thought provoking, but maybe I’m a rube.
November 26, 2012
I was surprised to enjoy this book, as I couldn't even finish reading McGhee's book, "Shadow Baby". I was originally put off by the book containing the same bus driver, towns & landmarks from the other book, but the books are not at all related - just take place in the same parts of NY. this story was well written and the touching.
July 29, 2007
There are a couple of wobbly steps in the beginning of this dreamy, close-focus novel, but it nonetheless made me weep like a baby at the climactic moment. The saddest of Alison McGhee's adult novels, all of which work the melancholy side of the tracks.
December 24, 2012
Very, very sad. But rewarding and beautifully written.
Recommended by Kristin to me back in 2004. Geez, we've known each other online for a LONG TIME now. ;)
Recommended by Kristin to me back in 2004. Geez, we've known each other online for a LONG TIME now. ;)
January 30, 2014
Loved this beautiful book! This is my second book by Ms. McGhee and I see a pattern of fascinating themes and settings evolving. I look forward to reading more. The flow of her books are just amazing too. They feel soft and sleepy but engaging at the same time.
January 9, 2008
Middle of the pack of this years' reads.... not that memorable for me on either spectrum.
August 5, 2008
What an amazing read!! Rainlight is honest, and relevant to most anyone - an emotional experience well worth taking.
September 26, 2008
Gracious, this was the most depressing book I've read in a long time. Don't read it unless you want a real downer.
August 24, 2009
Good not great. Somewhat predictable.
September 7, 2009
I am sad to say I could not read a MN book. but i could not get past page one... i just couldn't follow it. and life is too short to waste time on an ok book. forgive me ms. mcghee.
October 1, 2009
This is a beautiful sad novel.
December 8, 2009
A sad and wonderful book.
December 21, 2009
A thoughtful and rather sad story, but not a sad ending.
September 29, 2010
I found this story to be about loving and accepting and opening ourselves up after a heartbreaking grief and I highly recommend this author.
January 29, 2017
Painfully read the first 20 pages and just couldn't do it anymore...
January 5, 2020
Read in 2001
Transferred from my old 'records' notebook. My notes in 2001: "Loved it. Great story.
Transferred from my old 'records' notebook. My notes in 2001: "Loved it. Great story.
December 28, 2008
This is a beautiful book--heartbreaking and hopeful.
March 6, 2010
2.75 out of 5.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews