In Nightfall

     It's Christmas morning. Eugene and I are with our kids at Amber and Brian's place unwrapping gifts 🎁. Amber hands me a large one and I'm all excited. She knows how much I love the offerings of Once Upon a Book Club. They pair most excellent YA selections with gifts that are items mentioned in the narratives. (You might want to check them out. www.onceuponabookclub.com). And the featured book looks really good.

    That evening after all the festivities I start reading In Nightfall and realize that Amber chose well. The spooky ambiance quickly envelopes me. I am not just reading about the small town of Nightfall, Oregon. I am there.

     Probably Theo and Marcos shouldn't have thrown that out of control party. They were on the verge of having their dad's place to themselves for the summer. But now he feels that he can't trust them. Their mom's place isn't an option. So now they're driving cross country from sunny Arizona to the rainy coast, destination: Nightfall, Oregon--population 846 souls to the home of a grandmother they've never met.

     Nonna's house is sorta eerie, especially Theo's assigned room populated by creepy looking porcelain dolls. And when the siblings tell their dad that they're going to check out the town Nonna insists that they don't stay out after dark and don't talk to strangers. 

     Needless to say, they break both rules that night, being quickly drawn into the teen social scene. They're accepted by a trio of strikingly beautiful girls and invited to a beach bonfire the next night. The summer seems more promising than they anticipated. 

     But there are these red flags: an ominous painting, sinister chapters in the town's history, the fact that the creators of a horror podcast are in town investigating. 

     Maybe Theo and Marcos should have listened to Nonna. 

On a purrrsonal note, Christmas 🎄 was really wonderful. In addition to unwrapping gifts and brunch at Amber and Brian's there was the traditional party at the in-laws. What really made my Christmas was spending special time with my kids. Maine winter weather being what it is, that's something I can't take for granted. 

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene,  our kids, and their significant others. 

Jules Hathaway 

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