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    And the Dark Sacred Night: A Novel
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    And the Dark Sacred Night: A Novel
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    And the Dark Sacred Night: A Novel
    Audiobook16 hours

    And the Dark Sacred Night: A Novel

    Written by Julia Glass

    Narrated by Mark Deakins

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In this richly detailed novel about the quest for an unknown father, Julia Glass brings new characters together with familiar figures from her first two novels, immersing readers in a panorama that stretches from suburban New Jersey to rural Vermont and ultimately to the tip of Cape Cod.

    Kit Noonan is an unemployed art historian with twins to help support and a mortgage to pay-and a wife frustrated by his inertia. Raised by a strong-willed, secretive single mother, Kit has never known the identity of his father-a mystery that his wife insists he must solve to move forward with his life. Out of desperation, Kit goes to the mountain retreat of his mother's former husband, Jasper, a take-no-prisoners outdoorsman. There, in the midst of a fierce blizzard, Kit and Jasper confront memories of the bittersweet decade when their families were joined. Reluctantly breaking a long-ago promise, Jasper connects Kit with Lucinda and Zeke Burns, who know the answer he's looking for. Readers of Glass's first novel, Three Junes, will recognize Lucinda as the mother of Malachy, the music critic who died of AIDS. In fact, to fully understand the secrets surrounding his paternity, Kit will travel farther still, meeting Fenno McLeod, now in his late fifties, and Fenno's longtime companion, the gregarious Walter Kinderman.

    And the Dark Sacred Night is an exquisitely memorable tale about the youthful choices that steer our destinies, the necessity of forgiveness, and the risks we take when we face down the shadows from our past.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 1, 2014
    ISBN9780739383124
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for And the Dark Sacred Night

    3.5/5

    118 ratings16 reviews

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    • 3/5
      While I enjoyed the writing (thus the 3 stars) not so much the story. Certain characters were appealing, others not so much. Tangents galore and mostly meaningless. The ending was a disappointment.
    • 3/5
      Glass still draws me into her characters' worlds, but I felt distant from this story, mostly because I had little but impatience for the main character. I kept thinking, sexistly, that a woman wouldn't be such a whiny beyotch. I like the idea of the past being the 'dark sacred night', and am intrigued by stories where the past unwinds to inform the puzzles of the present. But it just wasn't Three Junes, not by a long shot.
    • 3/5
      They're not as 3-dimensional as they could be, perhaps, but her characters are delightful anyway. I'd invite them to my house.
    • 3/5
      The characters immediately draw reader's attention; the plot not so much.It's fairly improbable that a search for a possibly dead father holds up a man's entire life and career.Story is also overburdened with secrets and predictable outcomes.
    • 5/5
      I find Julia Glass to be an insightful observer of the sorts of lives I know a bit about from my own experience: white, middle class western families. In this book there's also quite a story of gay men, about whom I know much less. I will assume she's done a reasonable job of representing the gay male experience of that late 20th (including the AIDS crisis) and early 21st century. These days 'we' are all a little (or a lot) suspicious of writers who attempt to represent a life which is outside their person experience, and I am not sure how the LGBTIQ community would respond to these characters. Certainly the issue of sexual identity gets a solid workout in this novel and I was satisfied with the complexity with which Glass deals with it. I reckon many young people even now will spend some time being confused about their sexual identity, partly because of the expectations of people around them. This story shifts its focus as we go along, starting with Kit, his stepfather (Jasper), his wife and children, and then almost completely abandoning that aspect of the plot to focus on Kit's origins, the people associated with that time and then the sequellae. Actually, I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second half, but I can see the necessity of the latter parts. Glass is making the point, I think, that the revelation of old family secrets won't be received equally well by everyone involved. And further, there are a lot more secrets kept than we might anticipate. It's not always easy to reveal aspects of your personal history to others, partly because that can mean coming to terms with your own past. As usual, I most enjoyed that parts and characters that I could most directly connect with, especially the almost retired, slightly disabled, old guy, Jasper.
    • 3/5
      And the Dark Sacred Night by Julia Glass is a recommended novel for those who enjoy melodramatic family sagas, especially those that span several novels.

      In And the Dark Sacred Night Kit Noonan is ordered by his wife, Sandra, to find out the identity of his birth father. Kit's mother, Daphne, has withheld the information from him for the 40 plus years since his birth. Currently Kit and Sandra are the parents of twins. Kit is an unemployed art history professor who is experiencing inertia, or more likely depression, since he lost his job. His marriage seems to be in trouble but his wife insists that discovering who his father is will be the key to pull him out of his funk.

      Kit takes off to see Jasper, his stepfather and former husband to Daphne, at his home. Jasper was a father to Kit along with his own two boys and Kit turns to him to find the answers that Daphne refuses to share. Since Jasper promised Daphne he would keep her secret, he doesn't divulge everything he knows, but does give Kit a name to contact, which helps him continue his search for the truth.

      The writing is quite good in And the Dark Sacred Night, but the plot left something to be desired for me. Perhaps it would have helped if I had read the first novel, Three Junes, which has characters that tie the two stories together - or perhaps not since this novel is said to be a stand alone novel. What I did feel was an overwhelming sensation that I was missing part of the story, some essential kernel of truth that would pull it all together into a fabulous sprawling tale of family ties, destiny, and forgiveness. Instead of that I was left with questions right at the start when a wife inexplicably sends her forty-something unemployed husband off to seek the identity of his true father because that will give him the answers he needs... even though they are apparently having marriage problems. It just didn't ring true to me. Additionally I could not understand why Daphne wouldn't just tell this adult man who his father was. There was no point in hiding the information from Kit.

      Kit himself was a bore. I understand he has shouldered the great burden of this mystery for his whole life but at 40 years old one would think he would have come to terms with it and be creating a life for himself. That said, the novel redeemed itself for me in other ways. I felt there was some great character development in many of the other characters and really liked them. The problem was, for me, Kit was the least intriguing character but the main character.

      Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Knopf Doubleday for review purposes.

    • 4/5
      I wish I could remember The Three Junes as this probably would have made this book more relevant. I do remember reading it but the story is lost in the memory of tons of books. I enjoyed some aspects of this book.
    • 3/5
      Kit Noonan, an unemployed academic in his early 40s, has settled too comfortably into a lazy lifestyle in his wife's opinion. Her solution to overcome his slothful existence is for Kit to uncover the truth about his biological father whose identity has never been revealed by his birth mother despite numerous attempts by Kit. This begins his journey to his former stepfather's home and the gradual revelation about the truth of his paternity.Julia Glass' great strength as a writer seems to be character development. By the end of this novel, the reader is very familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of numerous members of several families. I have not read The Three Junes, so one of the characters, Fenno, seemed to add little to the overall story; however, those who remember him from The Three Junes are perhaps glad to know what has happened in his life subsequent to the end of that novel. It almost seems as if this book is a springboard to yet another novel involving some of the same cast. There is a sluggish quality at the end of the book that emanates from too many details of the interactions and inner thoughts. I think a slightly abbreviated version would have made it more meaningful for me. I am grateful to Goodreads for the opportunity to review this advance edition.
    • 5/5
      I really really liked this book. Julia Glass is truly a wonderful writer, and I love how she takes the time to develop each of the characters, their relationships, and their backgrounds. This is the story of a middle-aged man named Kit in search of his father whom he's never met and knows absolutely nothing about, not even his name. This book made me laugh and cry.
    • 3/5
      Kit Noonan is an employed art professor who specializes in Inuit art. His wife tells him he needs to go find out who his father is. But this isn't really about Kit it's about families and all their beautiful, awful messiness but it also begs the question can you be whole person, or a successful person, if you don't know where you come from. Ms. Glass has an engaging style of writing that I enjoy. The reason I only gave the story three stars is because I just couldn't seem to care about the majority of the characters except for Jasper, Kit's step-father.

      I do want to read this again because I think it's one if those stories that has so many nuances that to read again might give a person to catch the depth with which Ms. Glass writes.
    • 4/5
      Glass is a master at character development. You are drawn into the lives of Kit, his mother, his children and Jasper, the man who reared him, as Kit searches for the identity of his biological father. My only quarrel is that there were too many characters and some jarring plot developments. The ultimate question in this book is who or what is family.
    • 4/5
      I have read all of Julia Glass's novels. As with all of her books, she does a great job of getting into her characters. Her prose is excellent and tells a good story. However, this book was not as good as her last one "The Widower's Tales". Part of the problem was with the lead character Kit. I just did not find him engaging. The plot centers around Kit's search for his biological father. The book shows this search and its impact on the lives of those that were part of his parents' lives. I did have a problem with his mother's unwillingness to give this 43 year old married father of twins any information about his father. I had trouble buying that he could not in this day of the internet done enough amateur leg work liking figuring out where his mother was when he was conceived etc. However if you accept her unwillingness to give this information, then you can find the plot possible. I also found that she had a lot of characters and inclusion of all of them did not necessarily help the story. If you haven't read Julia Glass then I suggest you start with "Three Junes" which is a national book award winner. If you like that, then try "The Widowers Tale". If you become a Julia Glass fan after those 2, then try this one. Let me know what you think.
    • 5/5
      I held off a little, having not loved Three Junes. But this was SO good! I throughly enjoyed the characters and their interactions. Daphne was a little overly nutty about not sharing her complete history with her grown son but of course that made the novel's story.
    • 5/5
      “And the Dark Sacred Night,” by Julia Glass, is a profoundly satisfying, character-driven novel with a simple story of everyday life at its core. The book swept me inside the interior lives of its four main characters, carried me through their present and into their past, and eventually, as soon as I got to the end, left me mourning the loss of these people I’d come to know and care about so intimately. I’ve read all of Glass’ novels with enormous pleasure. I am emotionally drawn to her body of work because everything she writes seems to increase my understanding about the interior lives of decent everyday people. For me, she is an astute psychologist of the human mind and a master literary craftsman of the human soul. This new novel is meticulously constructed around the theme of how the past informs the present; indeed, how knowing one’s past may be absolutely essential in order for the present to unfold without undue distortion. In this novel, action in the present often demands a shift backward to reveal something in the past that helps the character understand and deal with what is happening in the moment, i.e., the past communicates with the present giving added value and meaning to the present. If readers are impatient, they may feel like they are being pulled away from the arc of the present day plot into an onslaught of unnecessary background stories. But trust that each and every story from the past is necessary to the thematic scope of this novel and its affecting message. There is a constant forward and backward motion within this novel. As a result, the arc of the present-day plot seems to be delivered in slow motion: each action forward in time, is accompanied by one or more lengthy memories from the past. Many readers may find this annoying, but it is an essential part of Glass’ carefully laid out plans in support her theme.This book demands careful reading. No amount of detail within the plot is insignificant. Every dip into the past relates directly to what is happening, or will happen in the future. This is not a book where you’ll be able to skim the back-story in order to rush on with the present day plot. If you do, you’ll be missing half the beauty and a great deal of the psychological wisdom.This book deals with how a single event—in this case, the birth of a child to two teenagers forty years ago—can ripple through the lives of so many people, completely altering absolutely everything. The child is Christopher “Kit” Noonan, affectionately called “Kitten” by his strong-willed single mother, Daphne Browning. The book begins at a low point in Kit’s life. He is forty, without a job, and his marriage is falling apart. Nothing he does brings him any satisfaction; he’s apathetic and full of hopelessness. His wife feels strongly that the reason behind her husband’s inability to get anything accomplished is that he has no roots; he does not know who his biological father is because his mother has consistently withheld that information. He desperately wants to know; he needs to know; without this knowledge, he is paralyzed in the present without a significant part of his past to inform him about who he is. The plot is Kit’s quest to find his father and connect with his past and, once this is accomplished, we see how this knowledge informs, shapes, and properly assists him in moving forward with his life.It’s a meditative and intellectually satisfying premise for a book. In Julia Glass’ skillful hands it becomes a contemplative and artful literary gem. I loved this novel. I was sad to see it end. For me, this was definitely a five-star jewel; however, I will not be surprised if many of Glass’ fans are a little bit disappointed and see only four-stars where I see five. The author’s emphasis on theme over plot and how she chose to play it out within the highly structured design of this novel is also its weakness, and perhaps, the main reason why some fans may knock it down a notch in comparison with her best works. Regardless, this is one terrific literary novel and I recommend it with enthusiasm.
    • 3/5
      Since this was my first book by Julia Glass, possibly would have enjoyed it better if I had read her previous books to learn more about the characters background. I also listened to audiobook and was not wild about the narrator.

      DARK SACRED NIGHT, a family saga, Kit is ordered by his wife, Sandra to find out the identity of his birth father. Kit’s mother, Daphne has withheld the information from him for over forty years. Kit is unemployed, as previous art history professor, experiencing depression since he lost his job and his marriage seems to be in trouble. His wife Sandra thinks finding his father will help him pull out of his depression. They also have twins.

      The search leads him back to his stepfather Jasper in Vermont to find an outdoorsman who effectively raised him along with two stepbrothers. Eventually, the journey brings him to Lucinda, the elderly wife of a stroke-ravaged state senator and onward to Fenno (from Julia Glass’s first book) and his husband Walter. The middle section with Walter and Fenno attending therapy was too long and didn’t really add much to the story.

      There were too many unnecessary elements going on with back stories, and characters --plot fell flat for me and did not hold my interest. (could not wait for it to be over and kept waiting for a better part, which did not come) Kit’s journey and the meaning of family was somewhat good, but again felt it was lacking. Not very many likable characters, and hard to make a connection, as the novel drags out. A novel of family secrets which are revealed, a big disappointment and unfortunately, would not recommend.
    • 4/5
      Julia Glass continues to weave a story filled with interesting characters and a contemporary theme. Kit doesn’t know who his father is and it seems to underlie his marital problems and his career challenges. His mother refuses to tell him who the father and it makes no difference since his biological father is dead. Kit’s adopted father helps him locate his paternal father’s family, a well-regarded politician. Through Kit’s search, the reader discovers what makes family and how it is so important to us. I love Glass’s inclusion of characters first introduced The Three Junes. It is like meeting old friends. Character development is so important in a story, and Glass knows this.