Light from Distant Stars
A Novel
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4.2 • 6 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
When Cohen Marah steps over his father's body in the basement embalming room of the family's funeral home, he has no idea that he is stepping into a labyrinth of memory. As the last one to see his father, Cohen is the primary suspect.
Over the next week, Cohen's childhood memories come back in living color. The dramatic events that led to his father being asked to leave his pastoral position. The game of baseball that somehow kept them together. And the two children in the forest who became his friends--and enlisted him in a dark and dangerous undertaking. As the lines blur between what was real and what was imaginary, Cohen is faced with the question he's been avoiding: Did he kill his father?
In Light from Distant Stars, master story weaver Shawn Smucker relays a tale both eerie and enchanting, one that will have you questioning reality and reaching out for what is true, good, and genuine.
Customer Reviews
So Much Heart
Wow! Where to start? These characters and this story is one that I will come back to over and over. It’s the kind of story that will pop back into my head when I’m washing dishes or commuting to work or other random times. I can see pieces of myself in Cohen and Kaye. I want to be a friend like Ava.
The prose is beautiful. The characters are realistic. The story is compelling. And the relationships are the heart of the book.
If you don’t read much, take the time to read this one. If you like a plot that takes you along, you will like this one. If you like memorable characters, read this one. If you like relationship stories, you want to read this one. This has something for everyone.
I received an ARC from the publisher and this is my honest review.
An intense read
[TW- child abuse, violence]
“Father, are there things that cannot be forgiven?”
This is the story of Cohen Marah;beginnings and endings. Cohen finds his badly hurt father in the basement of the funeral home they both work at, and Cohen must come to grips with a past riddled with holes as he feels he is spinning out of control. In a series of flashbacks we see his attempts to understand if he was his father’s killer.
I spent an intense 5 hours reading this book today. This is how Shawn Smucker’s books hook you and you almost devour them and then spend time figuring out what you just read. This is a book where the past is truly prologue as Cohen, using his faith as a touchstone, deals with trauma, grace and wonder and begins a long recovery of the wholeness and holiness faith promises us all. As a retired minister and a trauma survivor I highly recommend this book. 5/5
[disclaimer: I received this book from the author and voluntarily read and reviewed it]