Because I enjoyed Revolution, another of Jennifer Donnelly's books, I thought I would read this one to see how they compared. Although this is Jennifer Donnelly's debut novel, I found it much more compelling and spellbinding than Revolution, with effective characterisation and many plot strands – I couldn't get enough of it!
Set at the turn of the century, in the Great North Woods in northeastern America, this is the story of Mattie, a girl fascinated by books and words who feels weighed down by her familial responsibilities; she is torn between going to university and pursuing a romance with the charismatic Royal Loomis. While working at a nearby hotel, she discovers the letters of a young woman found drowned in a lake, Grace Brown, and uncovers the tragic story of her murder.
I love historical fiction and I found it very interesting that Donnelly used extracts from Grace's original letters (the book is based on an actual murder that took place at Big Moose Lake at the turn of the century). The extracts are even more poignant and heart-breaking when you find out that Grace was real, although most of the other characters are purely fictional. Grace's innocent, pleading tones are filled with fear and anxiety, but also hope.
A Gathering Light was definitely one of the most compelling books I have read in a long time. The setting was very vivid and there were many interesting side-stories which had me completely entangled in the book. I could almost see the picturesque forests and lakes, the simple wooden houses, hear the wind rustle through the birch trees. Although it is told in first person, as the book centres around Mattie, there are so many other interesting characters: her teacher Miss Wilcox, who turns out to be a rather controversial poet; Weaver, Mattie's black best friend who is determined not to let racism crush his dream of becoming a lawyer; Minnie, another of her friends who suddenly finds herself a mother of twins and the many other characters who inhabit Mattie's small world, the people whose ordinary lives inspire Mattie to write extraordinary short stories.
Mattie is a very likeable heroine, especially because, like me, she will do almost anything for books. Although she is loyal to her family, she is no angel and struggles to contain her frustration about not being able to go to college because she has to help run the family farm. I could always hear her voice in her narration, and feel her dilemmas and sorrows. The romance in this book is really well written because although I dislike Royal Loomis, Mattie's love interest, when she was with him I would actually start to warm to him but
when she started to doubt him, I would too. Donnelly is brilliant at making readers feel just how her heroine feels and understand her dilemmas. There are no ideal "happy couples" and many marriages are shown to be far from perfect. Without spoiling anything, I was satisfied with the less-than-perfect ending to their romance and I was glad that Donnelly decided to be realistic, rather than sugar-coating everything. This applies to other aspects of the story too, and I was impressed with the honest depiction of a community of people
trying to survive together, although food is scarce and their work is back-breaking.
While I loved all of the side-stories, I would have liked to have heard more about Grace Brown's side of the story. I felt like this, the most moving, haunting part of the novel, had the potential to be more central to the plot. One of my favourite scenes was when Mattie reads the last of Grace Brown's letters and realises how they reflect her own life, it was achingly sad, yet hopeful.
A Gathering Light is a wondrous coming-of-age novel, which makes ordinary, mundane life seem almost magical. With effective characterisation and smooth, flowing prose, I would recommend it to readers aged 12 and up, but also to adults who enjoy historical fiction. But beware: you won't be able to stop reading!
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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