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Keeper of the Night
ALAN Review, Winter 2004 by Goodson, F Todd
Keeper of the Night by Kimberly Willis Holt Henry Holt and Company, 2003, 308 pp., $16.95 Suicide/Depression/Self-mutilation ISBN 0-8050-6361-7
Keeper of the Night is set in Guam, and the beauty of this setting stands in contrast with its subject matter. The book opens with the suicide of Isabel's mother and traces the paths of Isabel and her family toward recovery. As the oldest daughter, Isabel assumes responsibility for her father, her brother, and her sister, and she watches helplessly as they each descend into their grief. Her father throws himself into his work, ignoring his children. Brother Frank's anger eventually leads to self-mutilation, and her younger sister, Olivia, suffers from nightmares.
Kimberly Willis Holt skillfully weaves local legends and folklore into Isabel's story. In a series of very short chapters, we clearly see her frustration with her inability to help herself and her family.
Perhaps best suited for middle-grade readers, Keeper of the Night is a gentle and compelling exploration of the effects of depression on one family.
F. Todd Goodson
Manhattan, KS
Copyright Assembly on Literature for Adolescents -- National Council of Teachers of English Winter 2004
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