First Light (Contemporary American Fiction)

by Charles Baxter

Book Overview

As two grown siblings explore their complicated history over one hot Fourth of July weekend, they come to terms with the experiences that put such distance between them and discover the imperfect love... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140100911
• ISBN13: 9780140100914
• Release Date: October 1988
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.5" x 5.3"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Beautifully told family drama

Baxter begins this book with a glimpse into the life of a family in a state of static malaise. Rather than take the story forward he begins drifting backward in time, layering in incidents and moments that start to explain how the family got that way. In the hands of many writers this would feel like a gimick, but Baxter has the grace and skill to pull it off beautifully. With each chapter our questions are answered and our understanding grows.

First Light

I read First Light when it first came out. Charles Baxter writes with a beautiful, stunning style. His characters are interesting and complex. I have read all his books, and I think that his work is compelling and beautiful. Christine

Smart, lyrical book

When I realized that this book's format was to recount the lives of the characters - backwards, I was immediately put off, thinking I'd be bogged down by the device. But I quickly forgot that, and was engrossed in the vivid details and non-sentimental portrayal of the characters.

Simply a masterpiece

Although Charles Baxter is best known as a master of the short story (BELIEVERS etc.), this novel is his finest piece of work. It is the story of the complicated relationship between a brother and sister, told backwards, from end to beginning. Each individual chapter has the tight logic of a short story, but as a whole the novel is rich and complex. A magnificent study of the bonds of love and friendship.

A warm, wonderful book

Charles Baxter is better known as a short story writer, but his novels are little-known gems. First Light takes an "ordinary" relationship--that of a brother and sister--and shows how complex it really is. The book travels backwards in time: each chapter takes place at an earlier age in the characters' lives than the previous one. What could be a constricting or gimmicky literary device becomes magical in Charles Baxter's hands. The ending is beautiful. The characters sometimes exasperate but then, doesn't your brother or sister sometimes exasperate you?