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Mourning Light
Set in Madison, Wisconsin, and New Haven, Connecticut, in the early days of the AIDS epidemic, Mourning Light is a semi-autobiographical love story. Our narrator, Reb (so named by his mother because of her love of the Daphne du Maurier novel Rebecca ), is hounded by guilt over the death of his lover, Anthony, which took place on the same day Reb first met the handsome yet enigmatic Eric. Once Reb becomes convinced that Anthony has sent him a cryptic message from beyond the grave, he becomes obsessed with figuring out what it could mean.
Told in a series of flashbacks and remembrances, the novel concludes with a whirlwind of revelations that both complicate and resolve Reb’s view of his world and his lover.
Told in a series of flashbacks and remembrances, the novel concludes with a whirlwind of revelations that both complicate and resolve Reb’s view of his world and his lover.
192 pages, Paperback
Published July 19, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 21, 2023
Mourning Light is set in the early 90s- more than 22 years before the main characters, Reb and Anthony, could legally marry. Practically speaking, Mourning Light is the story of their marriage.
Reb is deeply insecure. Raised in Chicago by an emotionally abusive mother, he expects to receive the worst in life.
Anthony is an enigmatic English scholar. He pushed Reb away early in the relationship and never fully explains why.
Mourning Light explores Reb's character and his point of view. Readers see his deeply unpleasant childhood. They follow him through college and the postgrad academic world. And they witness as he copes with Anthony's long illness and the aftermath of his death.
Mourning Light is a well written book. Solid characters with a well developed plot.
So why three stars instead of five?
I don't like the romance genre. The plot synopsis made it clear that the story would involve romance- but it hinted at a supernatural mystery, too. That supernatural mystery comprises less than one percent of the entire plot. And because this is really a romance novel and not a mystery, the big reveals at the end weren't surprises. They weren't meant to be- this is a romance novel.
If you like romance, then this is the novel for you.
Seriously- it is a well done romance. The focus is on Reb, his internal motivations, and the entire universe of feelings in his lived experience. There's no explicit sexuality, no violence, and no gore. It is a very literate novel- lots of allusions and references to classic works, Dante's Divine Comedy among them. An undergraduate literature major would have fun dissecting and analyzing Mourning Light.
If you like romance, then this is the book for you. And if you like modern literature, then I also recommend it. Just don't expect Mourning Light to be anything other than a literary romance.
Reb is deeply insecure. Raised in Chicago by an emotionally abusive mother, he expects to receive the worst in life.
Anthony is an enigmatic English scholar. He pushed Reb away early in the relationship and never fully explains why.
Mourning Light explores Reb's character and his point of view. Readers see his deeply unpleasant childhood. They follow him through college and the postgrad academic world. And they witness as he copes with Anthony's long illness and the aftermath of his death.
Mourning Light is a well written book. Solid characters with a well developed plot.
So why three stars instead of five?
I don't like the romance genre. The plot synopsis made it clear that the story would involve romance- but it hinted at a supernatural mystery, too. That supernatural mystery comprises less than one percent of the entire plot. And because this is really a romance novel and not a mystery, the big reveals at the end weren't surprises. They weren't meant to be- this is a romance novel.
If you like romance, then this is the novel for you.
Seriously- it is a well done romance. The focus is on Reb, his internal motivations, and the entire universe of feelings in his lived experience. There's no explicit sexuality, no violence, and no gore. It is a very literate novel- lots of allusions and references to classic works, Dante's Divine Comedy among them. An undergraduate literature major would have fun dissecting and analyzing Mourning Light.
If you like romance, then this is the book for you. And if you like modern literature, then I also recommend it. Just don't expect Mourning Light to be anything other than a literary romance.
November 2, 2022
Richard Goodkin's haunting and heartbreaking, but also wryly witty, novel centers on its protagonist's tormenting guilt for having gone off to swim at the pool on the day his lover/partner dies of AIDS rather than remaining by his side for what turned out to be his final hours. But it's also about the complexity of both familial and romantic relationships and the price we pay for letting ourselves doubt our worthiness to be loved - as well as being a page-turning psychological whodunit that highlights the unexpected ways our lives can be woven together. A brilliant, beautiful, and deeply moving book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews