Beyond the Night (Paperback)

~ Marlo Schalesky (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“In this engaging story, Marlo Schalesky invites the reader on a journey that explores the difference between sight and vision. Her writing is not only compelling, but also accurately depicts the world of light and shadow and attempts to answer the age-old question: Is love blind?” 
- Jim Stovall, president, Narrative Television Network, and author of The Ultimate Gift

“Paul and Maddie’s story–a powerful tale of both darkness and glorious light–moved me deeply. I can’t recommend it highly enough. I’ve always loved Marlo Schalesky’s historical fiction, and now, I love her contemporary fiction too. Move over, Nicholas Sparks! There’s a new author in town.”
- Laura Jensen Walker, author of Miss Invisible and Reconstructing Natalie

“Marlo Schalesky has the ability to take your emotions on a roller coaster of a ride.  Beyond the Night is an incredible novel that reminds readers of the supernatural power of everlasting love.”
- Kristin Billerbeck, author of The Trophy Wives Club

“Beyond the Night is a gripping, tender love story with a poignant twist and profound life lessons for anyone facing darkness. The surprise ending made me want to read this moving book all over again!”
- Susan May Warren, award-winning author of Taming Rafe

“No exaggeration–Beyond the Night is a wonder! Marlo Schalesky leaves no emotion unturned throughout the telling of this story of family, friendship, faith, loss, and love. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, it did, with a surprise ending that called for a box of tissues. I will definitely be reading more from this author.”
- Tamara Leigh, author of Splitting Harriet and Faking Grace

“Beyond the Night is a beautifully written novel and a brilliant love story. Marlo Schalesky created two characters that I cared deeply about and took me on a journey through the joys and heartbreaks in their relationship. The ending stunned me, and I closed the book with a smile. An incredible conclusion and a lasting reminder of the hope that is just beyond the night.”
- Melanie Dobson, author of The Black Cloister and Together for Good

“In her latest offering, Marlo Schalesky leads readers down an unexpected path to a place of breathtaking, yet gentle, surprise. Richly layered with symbolism and meaning, Beyond the Night is a story that leaves a mark on the heart. Expect to be touched by this story. Expect to be moved. Expect to be changed. Highly recommended.” 
- Annette Smith, author of A Bigger Life and A Crooked Path

“Marlo Schalesky is a talented writer who pulls no punches in this intimate look at family dysfunction and redemption. Beyond the Night is a love story for the ages.”
- Kathryn Mackel, author of Vanished

“Beyond the Night is a tour de force. A deeply emotional portrayal of two lives and the many different kinds of love.”
- Lyn Cote, author of Blessed Assurance

“Beyond the Night is a captivating story. A beacon shining the way to new life and abiding love.”
- Roxanne Henke, author of After Anne, The Secret of Us, and Learning to Fly

“Marlo Schalesky weaves a beautiful, fierce story, intertwining love, pain, regret, and hope.   Through a character's blindness, you will find yourself seeing like never before. The end will you leave you breathless!”
- Rene Gutteridge, author of The Occupational Hazards Series

“Beyond the Night is dazzling! A brilliant beacon of light in a world of darkness and fear. You will walk away a changed person.” 
- John Olson, author of Fossil Hunter and Shade

“From the first paragraph of Beyond the Night I was transfixed. A story to keep you wanting more and prose so stunning I felt every word. Beyond the Night reminds me again why Marlo Schalesky is one of my favorite authors.”
- Tricia Goyer, author of A Whisper of Freedom

“A story of love and grace told as only Marlo Schalesky can so beautifully tell it.”
- Cindy (Martinusen) Coloma, author of Orchid House

“Marlo Schalesky takes us into the depths of her character's souls where we see reflections of our own worst and best moments. Her writing makes make me weep, laugh, and embrace once again the God who doesn't always give me the answers I seek, but always offers me His presence. Her stories are not to be missed.”
- Janelle Clare Schneider, author

Product Description

They say love is blind. This time they’re right…

As a woman lies unconscious in a hospital bed, her husband waits beside her, urging her to wake up and come home. Between them lies an ocean of fear and the tenuous grip of memories long past. Memories of wonder. Of love. Memories of a girl named Madison and a boy named Paul…

Madison Foster knew she was going blind. But she didn’t want pity–not from her mother, not from her roommate, and especially not from her best friend Paul–the man she secretly loved.

Paul Tilden knew a good thing when he saw it. And a good thing was his friendship with Maddie Foster. That is, until he started to fall in love.

With the music of the seventies as their soundtrack and its groovy fashions as their scenery, Maddie and Paul were drawn together and driven apart. Then one night changed everything…forever.

And only now, when life tiptoes past the edge of yesterday, along the rim of today, can they glimpse the beauty that awaits them…beyond the night.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (June 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601420161
• ISBN-13: 978-1601420169
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #213,597 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christy Award Winner 2008, August 30, 2009

By	Avid Reader - See all my reviews

I was looking for something new to read and happened to find the Christy Award List for 2008. It is a special award for many types of Christian fiction. This novel won the contemporary fiction award, so I figured if a bunch of experts think it's good then it must be a good read. They were so right.

I haven't heard of this author before, but after reading this book I plan to read all her other writings as well. This is one of the best books I have ever read, definitely one that I will reread and think about for a long time. It's a story about Maddie, a woman who realized that she had Stargardt's, a genetic disease that rapidly causes blindness. It's also about Paul, a man who just realizes that he cares for her but is not sure how to deal with her disease without trying to rescue her.

The novel resonated with me on another level, because I have worked with people who are losing their vision. Maddie's response to her vision loss is true to life: a lot of grieving, a lot of questioning and denial. Schalesky was able to capture the process of learning to live with the loss of vision with compassion and not condescension, and give us a small glimpse of what it is like to learn to be blind. I admired how determined Maddie was to cope and live life to its fullest, and how she learned to hope amidst suffering. This is why the story will stay with me. It didn't offer trite platitudes for dealing with loss or suffering, it merely showed the courage to find hope.

I also loved the dialogue between Paul and Maddie. I have read so many books where the main characters are supposed to care for each other, but throughout the book you wonder what they saw in each other. With these two, their relationship was demonstrated through their teasing banter, and in the ways they took care of each other. Even though Paul was not someone who was known for commitment, for Maddie he came through when she needed him. They seemed like real people, not just characters in a book. I was really rooting for them. Although the subject matter may sound somber, the writing wasn't at all. There was a scene in a Chinese restaurant that made me laugh, having eaten in many Chinese restaurants myself, the scene rang true.

The storytelling was beautiful, done in flashbacks. Flashback storytelling can be confusing, but I found this novel to be clear and fluid. And it all clicks into place in the end leaving you with a feeling of joy and gladness. I have read many forgettable books, but I would venture to say that if you are going to invest time in reading a book then this should be on the list.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing !, October 28, 2008

By	N. cashatt "Book Reader" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What an amazing story of love and hope that kept me reading into the late night hours ... and when I finished the book, I immediately wanted to start reading the book again... that's how much I enjoyed it. This is the first book I've read of Marlo Schalesky. I recommend this book highly - a must read ! Definately 5 stars !

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One to share, August 14, 2008

By	Jennifer Bogart "@ Quiverfullfamily.com" (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

You've read them before: boy meets girl, boy and girl become friends, boy and girl resist their friendship developing into anything more, and so on. The stubborn love story, wherein the characters refuse to acknowledge and/or embrace their love for each other. Beyond the Night by Marlo Schalesky is on one level such a story, but it develops into so much more.

The book opens with a passage from a mysterious third party narrator. Seemingly vague and general, this passage remains confusing and meaningless until the surprise ending. We then enter into a scene with the married couple Paul and Maddie taking a trip on a rainy night. A tragic accident occurs, and in the next scene we enter a hospital room. Maddie is hospitalized and drifting in and out of consciousness while Paul patiently waits.

Unlike many love stories, we are already privy to knowledge of the culmination of their relationship. The knowledge of Paul and Maddie's status as a married couple helps us to weather their indecision and struggles as they resist and wrestle with their attraction to each other throughout the relating of their love story. As Paul reaches out to her, seeking to bring her out of this state, we travel along with them as they both remember their journey to love.

Maddie and Paul meet each other in college during the `70s; Paul aiming for a career in medical research and Maddie setting her sights on the title of Doctor. They quickly develop a buddy-buddy relationship that develops the glimmer of maybe, possibly, something more. Then Maddie starts to go blind - not a great time to be starting a new relationship.

Maddie's loss of vision plunges her into a time of emotional darkness that parallels her journey into visual darkness. The recollection of this descent into darkness is set into scenes of Maddie's present - struggling against the darkness that seeks to overcome her in her hospital bed. Maddie's slow loss of vision causes her to doubt God and His plans for her life. She draws into herself and away from friends - fiercely independent and frightened of dependence on others, she pushes those away who seek to help her, including Paul.

Paul engages in a battle of his own - wrestling with his feelings towards Maddie and struggling to understand how he could love a blind woman. Both characters are extraordinarily cautious to act on their feelings, each for their own reasons. This reluctance definitely aroused my frustration with the two of them. Becoming emotionally engaged and caring for this couple makes me impatient. I want to wake them up, get their attention, and get them together! Thankfully we already know they'll be united in marriage, helping to prolong my patience.

I am not typically a reader of romance stories; I can assure you that this is not your typical light and fluffy romantic fare. Paul and Maddie's struggles with the imminent loss of vision and faith, and their own shortcomings add depth and meaning to the story of their love. I was relieved to find that the tale of their developing affections free them from sensual engagements. Too many romantic stories are mired in the promise or acts of physical intimacy, the reason I normally avoid the genre.

I was drawn to this title for several reasons - the assurance that the characters involved would marry, the spiritual struggle and theme of spiritual darkness brought on by the blindness and the promise of a surprise ending - I couldn't resist. Schalesky doesn't disappoint on any of these counts. Many would feel that a story in which you know the outcome of relationship would be without suspense or uncertainty. Countless titles offer formulaic and predictable endings; a skillful author, Schalesky succeeded in taking me by surprise with the book's conclusion.

Read it for the love story, the spiritual struggle, or the surprise ending, but do read it. Paul and Maddie's deep and enduring love along with their faith in God overcomes their fears and takes them Beyond the Night. You won't want to miss this one. I'll be watching for future releases from Schalesky, who is writing more titles with unexpected endings.

P.S. This is one you'll want to share with your girlfriends.