SUN MOON STARS RAIN

Having dropped out of college, Danny’s living at home with Mom to figure out his life. The title and cover promise a poetic reverie of nature, but the author makes Danny and his environs come to life through gritty dialogue and his pursuit of the truth about the pristinely preserved woods that federal, state and county authorities have been trying to grab for years. It was in those woods that Danny’s father died as Danny watched. Another death occurs that underlines the mystery, the danger and dishonesty possible in a small town. The rural Pennsylvania setting keeps the connections between characters believable, and the plot thickens as Danny grows to understand more fully how facile judgments don’t work. There’s an intricacy of emotion at work that is cleverly revealed as events unfold. A gorgeous new waitress at the café has more history than expected, excursions to a Catholic church for Sunday morning and funeral services are intriguing and even alcohol fuels motivations in unexpected ways. No word is extraneous, yet the author manages to make the dialogue both realistic and revealing. Short, sweet and stunningly well written. (Fiction. YA)