Today's Read: The Dying of the Light by Robert Goolrick

How far would you go to save your family's social standing? Diana Cooke's parents put all their hopes on her making an excellent (read: moneyed) marriage that will save them and their beloved family estate.

She was born with the century. She was born as well into the memory of two wars--her grandfather had been Jeb Stuart's aide-de-camp, her father had lost a leg in the Philippines--and then, when she was fourteen, she knew the agony of the Great War. Her whole childhood was touched by the present evil of war, as it was war that killed all six of her cousins, Penny, Carter, Stuart, William, Augustine, and Uncle Charlie, who was called that because by the time he was born, his oldest sibling already had children of his own.

—The Dying of the Light by Robert Goolrick (Harper Books, July 2018)

Quick Facts

• Setting:Virginia, about 1918 to 1941
• Circumstances: As World War I comes to an end the Cookes find themselves unable to maintain their beautiful Virginia estate, which has been in their family since colonial times. It is now up to Diana, young and beautiful, to marry into money and save the house and her parents' futures. Her arranged marriage doesn't bring her happiness, and Diana's choices, secrets, loves, and hates follow her throughout her life. Her one joy is her dear son, but can he help her find peace?
• Genre: literary fiction with elements of Southern Gothic.
• Themes: family, marriage, secrets, duty, love
• Characters: Mostly Diana's family, neighbors, and her son's friends
• Why I want to read this book: I liked several of Goolrick's earlier novels (A Reliable Wife, Heading Out to Wonderful), so am curious about his latest. I generally like Southern fiction and books about families.
• Reviews: I read several advanced reviews of The Dying of the Light, and found mixed reactions. Most readers liked Goolrick's writing style, but several thought Diana's character was too stereotyped.
• One more note: I took the opening quotation from chapter 1 because I thought it was stronger than the opening to the prologue. The prologue, by the way, seems to reveal much of what's to come in the novel, and I'm not sure I like so much foretelling.