by Yvonne Osborne
Rating: *****
Trying to cope with the recent loss of her mother, Sadie Wixom is immersing herself in the rural Michigan farmstead she shares with her father and Grandfather.
When her aunt temporarily houses an Indigenous family from Saskatchewan, Canada, Sadie is intrigued, especially by the son, Stefan.
Both free-spirits, damaged, and impacted by loss, Stefan and Sadie forge a connection. But, as racial bigotry in the local town escalates, and Stefan’s elder brother, Joachim, needs help back in Canada, can Sadie cross the cultural divide or is she hopelessly naïve?...
The first paragraph of Osborne’s absorbingly good story informs the reader of three pivotal events in Sadie Wixom’s life, one that occurred before the novel begins, and two that will become critical junctures in the narrative as it unfolds.
It’s a confident, intriguing start and Osborne cleverly lays a gloss of ambiguity over the three statements before sweeping the reader effortlessly into Sadie’s world, and then Stefan’s.
Let Evening Come can be described as a coming-of-age story but it’s far more layered and intricate than that. Although the burgeoning romance between Sadie and Stefan is at its nucleus and Osborne pitches their exchanges perfectly; nuanced, slow-burning, and softly sensual, she uses the complications of their relationship to foreground issues including displacement, colonialism, and racism.
And, from these wider, societal themes, she explores the personal challenges of identity, grief, and resilience in the face of adversity. It sounds a little complex but it isn’t. Osborne’s wonderfully textured prose, measured tone, and lightness of touch ensure Let Evening Come is a captivating and thought-provoking read that flows with easy fluidity.
The story is told from several perspectives although Sadie’s tends to be the driving point of view. She is an arresting character, vulnerable but oddly tenacious and Stefan provides focus to a life that has become understandably listless since her mother died.
She can be frustrating, as can Stefan. Notwithstanding their cultural differences, they are similar in disposition, and the daily struggles both face also have relatively comparable roots.
The lesser characters are well-depicted, convincing, and investable. Osborne’s dialogue, in particular, is richly authentic and nicely individual, often weighted with unspoken emotion.
The structure and development of the plot in Let Evening Come is deceptively clever. Osborne gives the reader several gripping, purposeful tangents that swirl around Sadie and Stefan adding to the creeping sense of foreboding. However, it is the thrilling subplot involving Joachim that captures attention.
Indeed, Joachim’s trajectory takes the novel into different territory, literally and figuratively. Although disparate in tone, it dovetails neatly with events back in Michigan while providing contrast and a riveting parallel narrative.
Let Evening Come is an atmospheric novel not least due to Osborne’s sense of place, she registers the landscapes of rural Michigan and Western Saskatchewan with an intrinsic feel for space and transitory effects that complement the simmering tensions and dilemmas of her main characters.
The various conflicts with Sadie’s neighbors, the Boltons, peter out a little abruptly, and, personally, a touch more accountability for Josie, Joachim’s girlfriend, would have been satisfying.
Nonetheless, Osborne leaves the reader much as she arrived, with a gentle sprinkling of dreamy vagueness, perfectly fitting this beautifully crafted and compelling novel. Highly recommended.
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