Customer Reviews

Keeper of the Night

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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

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.

You will not be disappointed by Keeper of the Night. The style is a bit different from Louisiana Sky and Zachary Beaver, but it is still poetic. It reminded me of A Step from Heaven, short vignette's from a young girl's view. The Guam setting makes for a perfect summer novel. Teen girls will especially enjoy this gem.

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.

The first pages were the perfect hook to get the reader instantly into the book when Isabel finds her mother's dead body. You get to see how such a tragedy can change the atmosphere of a family. Also,You can feel Isabel's emotions through her poetry entries in her journal. It was interesting to see how each `mini-story' falls into the life of Isabel.

Holt gives a very poetic feel to the entire story which gives a feeling of hope that Isabel and her family will be alright. The setting of the book is in Guam and Holt gives the effect of an exotic place without whelming the reader. The images are clear and vivid without the words seeming to be "word vomit". He is able to do what most readers what, which is to take them out of their current setting and into a whole new world.

I wasn't a huge fan of this one, but I enjoyed the fact that the story took place on Guam. I rarely come across book that involve Guam. The story was slow and I had a hard time staying invested. In fact, I didn't feel like there was much story at all. In short, Isabel's mother commits suicide, and slowly the reader begins to understand why along with the characters. This book did make me want to learn more about Guam though.

After reading the book Keeper of the Night by Kimberly Willis Holt, I thought it was the best book ever! This book is about a girl named Isabel who is 13 years old and has a little sister named Olivia, a little brother named Frank, and a dad that she calls Tata. This book is all about how Isabel struggles to protect her family after her mother's suicide. The theme of this book is very sad but it is also very beautiful because it shows how a young women uses her own love to protect her family. I loved how in this book it tells the different ways Isabel act like a mother. Kimberly Willis Holt wrote many books that you might recognize such as My Luisiana Sky and When Zachary Beaver Comes to Town. She writes many heart warming stories. Keeper of the Night is directed mostly towards young women who enjoy an interesting, heartwarming,and serious novel. So if you are interested in this type of reading, Keeper of the Night is an excellent choice for you. It also was awarded the National book award, and award winning author.

After her mothers death, 13-year-old Isabel cleans up after her 7-year-old sister Olivia and worries about her 12-year-old brother who spends his nights carving "I hate you" on his walls. Their father is a fisherman who spends long hours on his boat and has no time for his family. Isabel feels like she can't remember her mother. No one at her Catholic school or Guam village mentions her mother's name except her Aunt Bernadette, who tries to interest Isabel in entering the fiesta-queen contest that her mother won two years in a row.
This book shows how a young girl takes over many mother-like responsibilities and the struggles she has with it; over all this is a good book on people coming together.