Keeper of the Night

by Kimberly Willis Holt

Book Overview

A powerful new novel from the award-winning author of "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town."Isabel's mother died peacefully. At least that's what Isabel likes to think since no one will talk about the truth. But the truth has a way of revealing itself at night. TaTa sleeps curled up on the floor right where Mama's body was found. Olivia wets her bed and wakes repeatedly from nightmares, and Frank starts carving his anger into his bedroom wall. It's up...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805063617
• ISBN13: 9780805063615
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 12 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 7 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Moving and Beautiful

I was prepared for another depressing teen angst tale, but instead found myself deeply touched by this book. It is both a wonderful coming of age tale and the story of a family overcoming tragedy and learning to face grief. It is also a fascinating window into the culture of Guam. Few Americans will be familiar with many aspects of the daily lives of Isobel, her family and her neighbors, but there is a universal experience here for any reader.Beautifully written in a style reminiscent of Karen Hesse's Into the Dust--not poetry, but yet with a wonderful internal rhythm of its own-- readers who pick up this book are in for a treat. This is young adult fiction as it was meant to be.

Character development at its very best!

Isabel was the first to come upon her mother's lifeless body and the empty bottle of sleeping pills. Since that day, Isabel's dad-her Tata-is emotionally haunted by the ghost of his dead wife to the point where he can no longer function as parent to his three young children, choosing instead to spend long hours our on his fishing boat. Isabel's brother, Frank, has chosen to deal with his sorrow and anger through self-mutilation; and Isabel's little sister, Olivia, is now wetting her bed at night and waking up with nightmares. Though she needs time to heal and find herself within the remains of her life, Isabel has discovered that her new role in life is of caretaker of the family. To make matters worse, a new American girl has arrived in Guam and threatens to take apart the comfort of Isabel's high school world, her native culture, and her traditional lifestyle-the last things that she felt she had ownership of. The beauty of this book shows in the easy flow of the words, in the detailed descriptions of the island of Guam, and in the souls of the characters; yet it is unmistakable anguish seen in the pain of the children that stays with you long after the book has ended. The dialogue is honest, so honest that it almost feels as though the reader is invading the privacy of Isabel and her father-a father who still sleeps on the floor of his bedroom, comforted each night by the blanket his daughter lays over him once he has fallen to sleep. There is nothing assuming or ridiculous about Isabel's thoughts on life, friends, or her mother's death. In fact, her feelings about her friendships leave the reader both annoyed with her childish ways and reminiscent of similar patterns from youth. It's hard to think of a young adult novel that uses its secondary characters so fittingly-Auntie Bernadette, Mrs. Cruz, Teresita, Mary Kelly, and even Mrs. Johnson are all responsible for moving this novel along at a pace that keeps the reader transfixed and hopeful. While Kimberly Willis Holt is best known for her gentle southern characters, she has introduced the island of Guam with definite exotic warmth.

Gentle and Powerful

Although this book is made up of incredibly short chapters and very simple sentences, it has an almost poetic flow that is hard to describe. I'd want to call this book "beautiful".Since her mother's suicide, Isabel has been in charge of the household and taking care of her siblings. Her father has withdrawn into himself, and her younger brother has found his own way of coping (with self mutilation). Meanwhile, she's making friends with precocious Mary Kelly, being pressured by her aunt to embrace her heritage by making the traditional recipe of Golai Hagun Sune, and another friend - Graziella - is preparing for a cockfight and beauty pageant!The richly described setting is one of the best elements of the story - you feel like you're there, and the author gets completely inside the minds of all the characters and locals of the Pacific island. Come along for Isabel's journey of healing and acceptance, a fascinating glimpse of Guam and a heartwarming story.

A PROFOUND STORY BEAUTIFULLY READ

Award-winning author Kimberly Willis Holt (When Zachary Beaver Came To Town) now brings the poignant story of a young girl's determination to help her family overcome or at least cope with the pain and loss they feel following their mother's suicide. As read by actress Vivian B. McLaughlin the tale is profound, painful, yet beautiful. Isabel is good at pretending. She would like to imagine that her mother's death was not unusual; she can think that as no one seems able to voice the reality of the tragedy. Tata responds to overwhelming grief by sleeping on the floor where her mother's body lay. Olivia wets her bed and is wracked by nightmares. Frank, on the other hand, expresses his abandonment by cutting into his bedroom wall. Isabel knows that she must help them, but how? There are times when truth is the only antidote for pain. - Gail Cooke

Keeper of the Night

Keeper of the Night by Kimberly Willis Holt is wonderful. Although this book is written differently than Holt's usual style, it works well. The book deals with a serious subject - suicide - but is neither too depressing or too happy. I also appreciate that at the end, the family is recovering, but not quite there yet. It shows how real life is - always a work in progress.