Shades of Morning

April 12, 2010
Book and coffee shop owner Marnie Wittier lives on the opposite end of the country from where she grew up; she needs that much distance from her past. But her past won’t stay away; her estranged sister, Rose, dies and Marnie is named guardian of Rose’s 15-year-old son, Emmit, who has Down syndrome. Another complication: Rose’s attorney is Taylor Cole, whom Marnie once loved. The complicated family history unreels in the narrative, alternating with Marnie’s learning to cope with the sweet and very challenging Emmit. Schalesky leavens a story that could be sad with friendly, quirky touches: Marnie’s customers, her iguana Max. Some devices seem contrived: Marnie’s box of memorabilia that signifies major life events, the cute meeting between Marnie and Taylor. But Christy-award winning Schalesky (Beyond the Night
) has a good feel for psychological complexity. And a reader won’t see the nice twist at the end coming until it hits like the California earthquake that opens the book. The story’s not 100% plausible, but it’s satisfying and charming.