Illumination Night

Dec 6, 2025 12:54 AM

Author:Alice Hoffman

Illumination Night

Vonny lives on the island of Martha's Vineyard with her husband Andre and son Simon. Their neighbour Elizabeth, a woman in her seventies, falls from an upstairs window and her granddaughter Jody is summoned to nurse her through her convalescence.

The scene is set for a magical story of love and loneliness, of terror and human frailty, of the mystery and grace of ordinary experience. Alice Hoffman's ability to fuse the domestic and the mythic in a narrative of such gentle yet magnetic force confirms her stature as one of the most gifted of American novelists.

Reviews

Alice Hoffman hits bulls-eyes on the incomprehension between the young and the old, of the magic and pain of ordinary life. She is erotic and romantic, funny and clever and humane

—— Philip Howard , The Times

A beautiful book. Fresh and dauntless

—— Toni Morrison

Compelling...Illumination Night is a novel of convincing psychological realism

—— Marge Piercy

An authentic prose stylist of a high order

—— Boston Globe

A shimmering, radiant tale

—— Publishers Weekly

A perceptive, tears-trickling-down-the-side-of-your-nose-on-the-bus brilliant read

—— Company

Moving and intelligent

—— Independent

A poignant tale of life, love and loss

—— Mirror

Traditional, light-hearted romantic fiction at its best

—— Literary Review

Poignant and humorous

—— Now

A buoyant tale that will have you laughing and crying from start to finish

—— Woman's Journal

The twists and turns in the plot will leave you dizzy

—— New Woman

The story is original and the suspense is skilfully built. An infuriatingly enjoyable feel-good read

—— The List

An engaging and original plot

—— New Statesman

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