Little Night

Starred review from April 16, 2012
After bludgeoning her sister’s abusive husband with a burnt log, Clare Burke is whisked away to jail in the dramatic opening of Rice’s 30th novel (after Secrets of Paris). Based on Anne’s false testimony in defense of her husband, Clare serves two years for assault, the sisters become estranged, and the story picks up 18 years later in 2011 in New York City, where Clare is a blogger and birdwatcher. Though she’s never fully recovered from the trauma of her sister’s betrayal, Clare desperately wants to reconnect with Anne, who has since cut all ties with her family at the behest of her manipulative husband. But when Anne’s 21-year-old daughter, Grit, shows up on Clare’s doorstep seeking a family that loves her, Clare and her niece bond, though the subject of their common tie—Anne—is never far from either of their minds. The two support one another as they attempt to create a relationship and reconnect with the woman who hurt them. Poetic and stirring, Rice’s latest beautifully combines her love of nature and the power of family. Agent: Andrea Cirillo, the Jane Rotrosen Agency.

June 1, 2012
A Manhattan ornithologist strives to heal the rift that has divided what is left of her family. Clare and her older sister Anne were always close, having grown up in a Chelsea brownstone with parents who kept secrets from each other and their daughters. But when Anne married a famous Danish glass blower, Frederik, he insisted she distance her own family. After a long silence, Clare goes to Anne's isolated country home, where she's welcomed by Anne and her children, Grit and Gilly. Bruises on Anne reveal abuse, confirmed by young Gilly, but when Frederik thwarts their escape and tries to strangle Anne, Clare hits him with a burning log from the fireplace. After Anne testifies against her, Clare goes to prison for two years. Almost 20 years later, Clare has rebuilt her life around her work as a birder and nature blogger, studying New York City's avian population. Her boyfriend, Paul, an Urban Park Ranger, is still in her life, but since she broke up with him (for his own good, she thought) while in prison, their relationship has remained tentative. When Grit shows up at Clare's apartment (in that very same childhood brownstone), Clare learns that Anne, who moved to Copenhagen with Frederik, has thoroughly identified with her captor. She has tolerated Frederik's physical and emotional abuse, not just of herself but of her son and daughter. Gilly commits a tragic act as a result, and Grit is disowned by her parents. Frederik is such an odious character that it is difficult to see how he managed to ensnare Anne in the first place--let alone keep her in his thrall. When Grit is hurt while filming in a bog, Clare leaves a message for Anne. A scent of violets and other clues indicate Anne may have heard the call. A new rendering of Rice's familiar themes of sisterhood and inherited dysfunction, which suffers from slapdash characterization but profits from a sure-handed depiction of the wilds of New York.

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Starred review from April 15, 2012

In 1993, Clare Burke attacked her sister Anne's abusive husband, Frederik, and went to prison for assault. Once close, the sisters grew estranged after Anne lied in court about what precipitated the attack. Clare, however, never stopped missing and worrying about Anne and her two children, Gillis and Margarita (Grit), who continued to live with a man they often feared. Now working as a birder and blogger in New York City, Clare is stunned to receive a letter from Grit asking to stay with her for a few days. Days turn into months as the aunt and niece get to know each other and try to live in the present while understanding the past. VERDICT Best-selling author Rice's 30th book is an outstanding read that both chills and warms the soul. Her descriptions of abuse are startling and unnerving, while her vibrant verbal paintings of birds and nature are calming and uplifting. This hard-to-put-down story about how family ties can be undone and sometimes retied is compelling and will undoubtedly resonate with fans of contemporary women's fiction. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 12/5/11.]--Samantha J. Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2012
In her thirtieth novel, Rice (Silver Boat, 2011) continues to find original ways to mine her signature themes of love and family as she introduces sisters Claire and Anne and their strong yet complicated bond. That bond is all but severed once Anne becomes trapped in an abusive marriage and withdraws from family and friends. Claire ends up in prison for assaulting her brother-in-law in a bid to rescue Anne, who testifies in defense of her spouse. Rice fast-forwards 20 years to when the sisters are completely estranged. Claire, who has struggled emotionally since Anne's betrayal, is surprised by the appearance of her niece, Grit, who has been thrown out by her parents and now hopes to connect with the aunt she barely knows. As the two grow close, they long to complete the circle and reconcile with Anne. Rice manages to create a fair measure of suspense around a reunion that feels inevitable, holding Anne at arm's length for much of the narrative. Never rushing her story or revelations, Rice reaches the satisfying conclusion that while wounds runs deep, love runs deeper. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A major national promotion campaign will support best-selling Rice's milestone novel, including a May 1 release of an e-special (How We Started, $3.99) containing two short stories.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)