The dynamics of the Rigby family are fully explored and the story progresses to a surprising conclusion.ĭisclosure: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for providing a digital ARC of The Rise of Light by Olivia Hawker, via Netgalley for review. The characters are multidimensional and very real. The author describes Aran's paintings so beautifully as well as the locale, making it seem as if I were present. This is a well-written story, told from different perspectives. Things change with the arrival of Linda Duff from Seattle. Aran is an aspiring artist and Tamsin is a bit of a rebel, still at high school, but intends to leave Rexburg as soon as possible. They are Mormons and they vary in their following of the religion.

The Rigby family comprises the father who is called Gad, mother Arletta, son Aran, daughter Tamsin, and 19-year-old twin boys Brig and Ondi. The setting for the novel is Rexburg, Idaho, in 1975. Readers who like extensive, descriptive prose and less plot will enjoy this book.The Rise of Light is a family drama by Olivia Hawker. This is a story of life and death, the beauty of nature, and healing, sorrow, and redemption. As Beulah, Clyde, Cora, and Nettie Mae each tell their stories, there is often overlap and repetition. Hawker’s language is very descriptive and poetic, but the extended flowery prose gets very tedious and adds unnecessary length to the book, while overshadowing an insubstantial plot. She does everything to keep Clyde and Beulah separated, out of fear of a romance blooming. When they join households, her animosity towards Cora creates conflict. Nettie is hard to convince of the necessity of working together and moving the Bemis family into her house. They realize the real danger their families face with the coming winter. It is 13-year-old Beulah Bemis and 16-year-old Clyde Webber, both resilient, likable characters, who try to carry the workload. At the same time, she feels relief at losing her brutal and uncaring husband. Nettie Mae Webber is consumed with bitterness and hatred over Cora Bemis’s betrayal.

Life is harsh on the prairie, so with winter looming and the harvest not gathered, the loss of the men is devastating. Now with Substance in the grave and Ernest in jail, both wives are without husbands and left alone with the responsibility of the farms and their children. In a fit of rage, he shoots and kills Substance.

It is 1876 when Ernest Bemis comes across his wife, Cora, with the neighbor, Substance Webber.

In the Northern Wyoming prairie in the shadow of the Bighorn Mountains, the Bemis and Webber families are the only settlers for miles, with the nearest town 20 miles away.

The rise of light by olivia hawker