Reminders of Long Ago Summers and Childhood Secrets

Waiting for the Night Song, the debut novel of Julie Carrick Dalton, is a story of childhood best friends, the sweetness of long summer days of freedom and exploration, but also of ugly secrets and the kind of trauma that shapes a child’s personality forever. This author knows how to wield her pen; her words are beautiful and compelling. The story of going home to make amends turns into a fight for social injustice as well as a battle to save the magnificent forests of New Hampshire. A lot was going on, and at times I had trouble keeping up. I wavered for a while about how I felt about the book, but the author won me over about halfway through. Her lovely descriptions of lazy summers and sweet friendships reminded me of so many sentimental childhood summers of my own. The book is well worth reading, and I gave it three and ½ stars, rounded up to four.