Customer Reviews

Into the Light

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

And, another of this author's titles from the mid-1980s.

Natalie Carter is a single mother with a 10 year old son, Patrick. Although she lives in Los Angeles now, her roots are in the logging country of rural British Columbia. One summer she returns as a beloved father-figure "Doc" is not well and she travels back home to look after him for a few weeks.

Whilst there she comes into contact with Adam Rutherford, the father of her son. Adam is a hugely successful wildlife photographer and documentary film maker and he is in the area scouting locations for a shoot.

When Adam discovers he has a son he is initially outraged and angry but he soon becomes besotted with Patrick and it's a mutual feeling. Father and son are clearly delighted in each other.

However, Natalie has a big secret in her background that has coloured her whole life. When 16 year old Natalie discovered she was pregnant, before she could tell Adam her stepfather found out. What then happened was horrific - to say much more would be a spoiler - but the episode caused her to leave for California without even speaking to Adam who therefore never knew he was a father.

The story is mainly about how these three people learn about each other and gradually form a proper family unit. My main quarrel with this story, and the reason why I can't give it 5 stars, is that I feel the author allowed Natalie and Doc to handle the tragedy that occurred just before Patrick was born very badly. I feel the decisions the author allowed them to make were simply incredulous and I could not accept them as realistic behaviour - indeed, I cannot believe that a hospital would not have reported what had happened to the police.

That said, it's a good story in a beautiful setting. Probably not a keeper but an entertaining read and full of the author's intimate descriptions of domesticity and scenery.