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brianreynolds
Apr 20, 2017brianreynolds rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A well-read, very astute friend has an unusual proclivity of reading the last chapter first. While the obvious downside of knowing whether to invest too heavily in the first paragraph is, well yes, “Spoiler Alert!” it worked out well for me in accidentally reading Nightfall before I devoured October. In fact, I wish Wright had written both (short and shorter) in the same dust jacket. Perhaps with a semi-colon between them: one a brooding comedy; the other a quiet irony. The truth is, I’m afraid I would have rated this one much lower, I think, if it had been simply a very well-written paean to loss and death and regret. But there it was: bottom of the ninth, the home team down three runs with the opposing closer never having blown a save all season. I would have been down the aisle and out of the stadium. Only to discover on the car radio during the drive home the big comeback and a walk off grand slam. If only I had known, I would have stayed to the end. Taken together, these two novels put a smile on my face. James, Odette, and Gabriel. They spoke to me.