Little Night

Narrator Blair Brown delivers a powerful performance in this family drama. Claire Burke returns to her life in New York City after serving time in prison for almost killing her sister's abusive husband. She intends to pick up her life where she left off, but a door is opened when her sister's 21-year-old daughter, Grit, pays her a visit, and they begin a journey of uncovering secrets and working through painful tragedies. Brown transitions flawlessly from one character to the next: from Claire's somber post-prison personality to Grit's melancholy to the terse volatility of Grit's Danish father. Brown captures the essence of each character with her strong, clear voice. M.F. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

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.