Nightfall

James Hillyer #2

by Richard B. Wright

From the acclaimed writer of the beloved Clara Callan comes a memorable new novel about first loves, love-after-love, and the end of things, set during summer in Quebec City.

James Hillyer, a retired university professor whose life was evocatively described in Wright's novel October , is now barely existing after the death of his beloved daughter in her forties. On a whim, he tries to locate the woman he fell in love with so many years ago on a summer trip to Quebec and through the magic of the Internet he is able to find her. But Odette’s present existence seems to be haunted by ghosts from her own past, in particular, the tough ex-con Raoul, with his long-standing grievances and the beginnings of dementia. The collision of past and present leads to violence nobody could have predicted and alters the lives of James and Odette forever.

Nightfall skillfully captures the way in which our past is ever-present in our minds as we grow older, casting its spell of lost loves and the innocent joys of youth over the realities of aging and death. The novel is skillfully grounded in observation, propelled by unforgettable characters, and filled with wisdom about young love and old love. Drawing on the author’s profound understanding of the intimate bonds between men and women, Nightfall is classic Richard B. Wright.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Canada, Canadian Literature, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Novels

192 pages, Hardcover

First published May 3, 2016

About the author

Richard B. Wright was a Canadian novelist.

Born in Midland, Ontario, Wright attended Trent University, from which he graduated in 1970. He was the author of 13 published novels and two children's books. Many of his older novels were republished after his novel Clara Callan won three of Canada's major literary awards in 2001: the Giller Prize; the Trillium Book Award; and the Governor General's Award.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very fortunate to win a copy of NIGHTFALL by Richard B. Wright through the Goodreads Giveaway Contest. This was a very enjoyable read, where the writer transferred us to another time and place, to experience the memory and calling of first loves.

This novel is by a Canadian author, and the setting describes scenery from Ontario and during the summer in Quebec City. I found this novel easy to follow and brought back memories for myself, the streets and scenery as I was born in Montreal, Quebec and now live in Toronto.

James Hillyer, a retired university professor has had a devastating life filled with many sorrows, now a widower for twenty years after the death of his wife, and now the death of his daughter at forty six to cancer. James has a son settled in California, but they were never close. James needs to find peace in his life and finds himself thinking about the woman, Odette Huard, he fell in love with so many years ago on a summer trip to Quebec. He places an ad in the Quebec newspaper to see if he can find her.

“Looking for Odette Huard who lived in Barachois, Gaspe, during the summer of 1944 when she was fifteen. She grew up in St. Henri and returned there after the summer with her family. Please phone James Hillyer…”

“Odette had not exactly been his girlfriend, but she was someone in his life he had not forgotten, and how many people can you say that about after sixty years.”

James finds Odette, but Odette’s has her own problems to deal with. James plans a trip leaving Toronto and heading to the Maritimes stopping over in Quebec City to see his long-lost-love.

Nightfall captures the heart of two people who came from different backgrounds and lived different lives based on their circumstances, but grew wiser as they grew older.

Love is eternal and in this classic novel, we see that love and happiness has no boundaries. Age is irrelevant. A very enjoyable read.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

She laughed and so did he. Hints of the old Odette. Temperaments never change. We are what we were, only in old bodies, he thought.

As a retired widower who has recently suffered the devastating loss of his beloved daughter, James Hillyer endures loneliness and insomnia. Laying awake one night, he remembers a girl he knew briefly, sixty-two years earlier, and resolves to attempt to find her. And find her, he does. Nightfall begins with an Author's Note, explaining that Richard B. Wright included long passages from his earlier novel October, “in the hope that they will clarify the relationship between James and Odette at quite different stages in their lives”. So technically, Nightfall is a sequel, an update, and at 170ish pages, a brief one at that. Having not read the earlier work, I can report that this book indeed stands on its own; and now having finished this one, I have little desire to go back to the other.

I found the passages lifted from October – which could run for several pages – to be the most interesting part of this book; perhaps because Wright was forced to so carefully select which snippets could represent the whole of that short friendship from long ago. In the present, as James and Odette attempt to reconnect, the action is jumpy and each speaks in longish monologues. There are a few other characters introduced – an estranged son, a dependent sister, a dangerous ex – and while they flesh out the pair's histories, they're not very interesting on their own. There is a brief spell of tension in the plot, but no surprises. I was often bored, even in a three hour read.

I remember that after I read Clara Callan, I was one of the few dissenters who didn't think much of that book; it might well be that I'm an outlier with this one, too. Perhaps you'll love Nightfall if you've enjoyed Wright's earlier novels – and especially if you were enchanted by October and always wondered what became of James and Odette and Gilbert – but this was just okay for me.

[Kathleen Nightingale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a simplistic story! What a thought provoking story! This book states so simplistically that love is needed for one and all no matter how old or how young. And no matter what circumstances and what has happened in your life you can love or recapture love lost in your older years.

I am now reading Wrights books backwards, I should have read October first, then Nightfall. Next week I will read October and get the back story to the love affair started in James and Odette's youth.

This book for me deserves a 4.5 or even a 4.75 as I think the story line will stay with me for a very long time.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

In so few pages, Richard B. Wright somehow manages to put his thumb directly on some of the most obscure characteristics of the biggest, most complex human emotions. I am always amazed by what this author writes; his words are always impactful and his stories linger in my my mind for years to come.

4/5

[Kate Hendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very simple book which is essentially a love story, bound with sibling relationships, coercion and grit. I intend to look for others by this author.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot happens in this short little book. I felt a lot of empathy for the two main characters, especially Odette. The sense of impending doom hovering over the story was quite unsettling at times. It was beautifully written and I'm glad I read it.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 2.5.

[Loisclarke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I am being generous with this one star rating.
The only reason I finished the book is because it is a book club selection.
How terrible unrealistic it is to even remember and becoming obsessed, with someone you met in your early teens, let alone want to visit them.
Whenever I read a book, I like to visualize the characters, as well as their actions. I certainly make an exception with the last chapter of this book.
Thankfully, there were only a few characters in this book as none of the characters were very likeable.
This was just so mind-numbingly boring. The only saving grace is the book is a short read. Having said that, I find boring books just take so much more time to read than an interesting read.
Perhaps I am missing something here in my haste to finish the book – where did the title come from?
This book was tedious enough that I will never consider reading any other book by this author.

[Debbie Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sequel to Richard B. Wright's "October" continues with protagonist James Hillyer's quest to find love and purpose in his retirement years. Without giving too much away, his earlier book "October" left some unanswered questions, so I was pleased to see where Hillyer was headed in the book "Nightfall". While "Nightfall" can be read without reading "October" first (in fact parts of "Nightfall" recalls several scenes from "October", I would still recommend reading "October" first.

This is a heart-warming yet thin and quick read, told from the points of view from numerous unique characters. And like a true storyteller, Wright throws a couple of punches and twists to keep the reader engaged in the conflict and its final resolution.

[Lois Clarke · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a solid zero star read in my opinion. I found the book just got more boring (if possible) with every page I read. The only reason I finished this book is because it was a book club selection for January; fortunately, at about 170 pages the book was a short read. Only one person in our book club enjoyed the book, the rest of us found this to be a very boring read. I found the characters annoying and not likeable. I have his book, Clara Callen in my collection, however, I might give it a pass as this book was so terrible.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second concise novel by Richard Wright that I have read recently, and I find them very curious beasts. They're a bit too abrupt and expository for me to fully embrace, but they're also full of simple, honest, realistic characters...and a surprisingly dark stain at the heart of the storytelling. I certainly don't love it, but for a quick and easy read, it manages to fascinate and compel in spite of its drawbacks.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this author's writing- he has the capacity to draw the reader into a situation with a light touch -almost a "matter of fact style" with little melodrama which is refreshing but lacks momentum.
Main character strives to meet his 'first love' after many years-it lacked depth-could have been more compelling......

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this final book by Richard B. Weight shortly after his passing. It was a melancholic experience. Having met the author a couple of times, I am ever grateful for his contributions to the world of literature. RIP Richard B. Wright.

[Ann-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of Clara Callan so happy to find another novel by the same author. I'm going to find a copy of October next. I recently visited the Gaspe region & Quebec City so I loved the setting.

[Nancy Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a number of Wright's works now and found this one only average. A quick, light read, it didn't have the substance of his earlier novels. Still enjoyable. The world will miss Wright......as will I.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quiet meditation on a man who has lost his wife and daughter, and the woman he remembers as his first love. He contacts her, and her life, and its messy complicated relationships, impacts his both negatively and positively. His last book, and it seems a gentle good-bye.

[Caroline Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story. His characters are entirely believable.

[Margo Mountjoy · Rating 1 out of 5]

a disappointing read by a good author. Loved Clara Callen.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars - "it was OK". Kind of boring, mostly.

[Trish Feeney · Rating 1 out of 5]

It just didn't grab my attention.
But that being said I will check out some of his other titles.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming end of life story building on an earlier one, about a first love, and very much enjoyed.

[Merrie121 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple story with elderly protagonists, a little tension in the middle but all well in the end.

[Rebecca Bomasuit · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great follow up to October! I love Richard B. Wright’s books (especially Clara Callan). This one was a wonderful companion to conclude the stories of James and Odette.

[Barth Siemens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think, if I could find more romances like this, I would probably read more romances.

[Penelopeann · Rating 3 out of 5]

a short story that moves along well. Told from the different character's perspectives.

[Colleen Jantzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely. Lilting.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read and loved the story behind it. With some touches of Maritimes too!

[Mary H]

Who knew there were so many books with the title 'Nightfall'?
Enjoyed this tale.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for those days when you want a light read.

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short novel revisits the characters of Wright’s earlier novel, October. Readers might want to read this latter book first though they might then find Nightfall repetitive because passages from October are directly inserted. On the other hand, October does, as the author’s note in Nightfall states, “clarify the relationship between James and Odette at quite different stages in their lives.”

James Hillyer is a 76-year-old widower and retired professor. Despondent after the death of his daughter, he starts thinking about happier times in the past. He decides to try and find his first love, Odette Huard, whom he last saw in Gaspé, Quebec, in 1944. The two of them do reconnect and start a new relationship after 62 years.

Chapters are narrated from various viewpoints (James, Odette, Odette’s developmentally challenged sister, Odette’s former boyfriend) but always in third person. This narrative structure allows the reader to see events, like the first meeting between James and Odette, from the perspective of both characters.

This approach, however, has a drawback. There is considerable repetition. For example, we learn, in one of Odette’s chapters, that she worked at the Green Mermaid when she was young; then in a conversation with James, she gives him that same information. Frequently, things are mentioned via a character’s thoughts and then repeated via dialogue.

One of the aspects I most enjoyed is comparing the elderly characters with their younger versions. They have had numerous life experiences, but both James and Odette are much like their young selves. When James first hears Odette’s voice on the phone, he comments, “Hints of the old Odette. Temperaments never change. We are what we were, only in old bodies” (23). Odette remains blunt and worldly; James is sedate and continues to have “a rather melancholic side” (160).

What is also emphasized is that though the two are old and their expectations have been tempered by time and life, they have the same emotions as the young. They want companionship and love and even sex, that “old itch” (103). Odette comments that, “it was good to have the comfort of someone to love and to share whatever time was left to them” (165). Both are aware that they are in their twilight years, but they hope they “would have some time together. And it must be time well spent.” And isn’t that a lesson for everyone?

The book is a short, easy read, a meditation on love and aging. It suggests that people, regardless of their age, are capable of being happy. James comments that “’happiness is largely a matter of temperament, a disposition or attitude, a genetic inheritance. It helps, of course, if the circumstances in your life are agreeable; if you’re not worried about, say, money or health. . . . I do believe that our culture is obsessed with happiness and people try too hard to find it. I sometimes think happiness finds you, and you don’t need to look for it all the time. . . . It could come from something as simple as listening to, say, a cardinal singing in a tree on a spring morning’” (159 – 160). And isn’t that, too, a lesson for everyone?

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