THE NIGHT OF MANY ENDINGS by Melissa Payne

 

From Melissa Payne, bestselling author of Memories in the Drift, comes an emotionally rich, feel-good novel about hope, second chances, and seeing the world through someone else’s eyes.

Orphaned at a young age and witness to her brother’s decline into addiction, Nora Martinez has every excuse to question the fairness of life. Instead, the openhearted librarian in the small Colorado community of Silver Ridge sees only promise. She holds on to the hope that she’ll be reunited with her missing brother and does what she can at the town library. It’s her home away from home, but it’s also a sanctuary for others who, like her brother, could use a second chance.

There’s Marlene, an elderly loner who believes that, apart from her husband, there’s little good left in the world; Jasmine, a troubled teen; Lewis, a homeless man with lost hope and one last wish; and Vlado, the security guard who loves a good book and, from afar, Nora.

As a winter storm buries Silver Ridge, this collection of lonely hearts takes shelter in the library. They’ll discover more about each other, and themselves, than they ever knew—and Nora will be forced to question her brother’s disappearance in ways she never could have imagined. No matter how stranded in life they feel, this fateful night could be the new beginning they didn’t think was possible.

MY THOUGHTS

Never judge a person for being homeless. Never judge a person for being an addict. Just never judge. That is the best way. People are seldom making the choice to be homeless or on drugs. We as a society tend to say things about homeless people without ever knowing their stories or why they are where they are. Things happen in life that at times are completely out of people's control. Loss of income. Sickness. Addiction to pain meds that lead to living on the streets. While I certainly do understand that at times people get tired of trying to help other who are addicts I think that if they do let them make the choice on their own they may find the help. They may get clean and find what it is that caused them to become an addict in the first place. It's rarely as simple as you think. Whether it's depression, being hurt and taking pain killers, alcoholism, or some other kind of addiction, it starts somewhere. And most likely it was not from someone making the choice to be an addict. Or homeless. Or a burden to their family. This country needs more help facilities for mental health. Affordable ones. Before putting a person in prison. Before giving up on them. I lost a brother in 2010 to drugs/depression and it's such a sad, useless loss. Good people sometimes make bad decisions or the wrong ones or take that first pill or drink and that's the beginning of the end. They need somewhere to go. Eventually I believe many could be helped. Now my reasons for saying all of this is this book. One of the storylines in this book is about addiction and homelessness. It hit me personally because of my brother who would have been 65 today. If only.

This is a very moving and touching story. Yes it started out a bit slow but it gained speed rather quickly. At least it did for me. Once I got inthralled with the characters and the things they lived with I was hooked. Once it became clear to me that this was going to be a story of five people who are all completely different yet so alike I had to keep turning the pages. There is the librarian, Nora. She has tried to save her brother, Mario, all her life. Mario is an addict. It started after the loss of their parents in a wreck that he blamed himself for. She has tried to save everyone. She's that kind of person. But at what cost? She's living in a world where she seems stuck. She lives for others and not herself. Can she learn anything from these people? Will the be able to help her?

The other people in the library are: Lewis, a homeless man who is also addicted to drugs. From an accident he had and was given pain medication. He's not a bad person. He's actually a caring and loving man. Or he was at one time. Then there is Marlene. She lost her husband. Her best friend. The love of her life. She doesn't want to go on without him. She doesn't think she needs too. Jasmine, a young girl who is in the library looking for a specific book for her younger sister. One their mother use to read too  Jasmine. Their mother died of cancer. Jasmine misses her and wants to help her younger sister remember her. The security guard, Vlado. His family is immigrants. He wants to do something useful but is afraid. He works in the library but should be going to college to be a teacher. These people spend one stormy night together. A big snowstorm that has them all hunkered down together. They are without electricity and it's so cold. Each has a story to tell. They spend this night together and become lifelong friends. But what happens after the storm. Once they all go on. After? 

I truly enjoyed this book. I cried a lot while reading it. Like I said, it hit me personally in so many ways. It was a tearjerker. It was also funny in many parts. Tense in a few. It was to me a great story. I hope everyone who reads it learns how forgiveness is suppose to work. How being a good neighbor is suppose to work. How just being a decent human being is suppose to work. Do not judge. Do something.

Thank you #NetGalley, #MelissaPayne, #LakeUnionPublishing for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

4/5 stars and a high recommendation.