The Rise of Light
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- Create Date：2021-08-29 08:21:01
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Olivia Hawker
- ISBN：B08TWXG67S
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Summary
A powerful novel about the expectations of family—and the risks and liberation of defying them—by the Washington Post bestselling author of One for the Blackbird， One for the Crow。
1975。 In the town of Rexburg， Idaho， aspiring artist Aran Rigby， his younger sister， Tamsin， and their two brothers are locked in orbit around their emotionally abusive father。 Gad is the kind of man who soothes the failures of his own life by controlling the lives of others。 But Aran and Tamsin are united in rebellion against their father。 They understand each other。 They have dreams beyond their small town。
Arriving in Rexburg is Linda Duff， an outsider from Seattle hoping to plant new roots far from the bitter ones of her childhood。 She’s quickly taken with Aran， in no small part because of his talent。 But when they fall in love， Linda is drawn into a family more damaged than the one she left behind。 She also becomes privy to a secret Aran and Tamsin share that could dismantle everything everyone holds dear。
Upsetting the precarious balance in the Rigby home， Linda becomes an unwitting catalyst for the upheaval of Gad’s oppression。 Now it’s time for them all to break free of the past， overcome the unforgivable， and find a new way forward—whatever the price。
1975。 In the town of Rexburg， Idaho， aspiring artist Aran Rigby， his younger sister， Tamsin， and their two brothers are locked in orbit around their emotionally abusive father。 Gad is the kind of man who soothes the failures of his own life by controlling the lives of others。 But Aran and Tamsin are united in rebellion against their father。 They understand each other。 They have dreams beyond their small town。
Arriving in Rexburg is Linda Duff， an outsider from Seattle hoping to plant new roots far from the bitter ones of her childhood。 She’s quickly taken with Aran， in no small part because of his talent。 But when they fall in love， Linda is drawn into a family more damaged than the one she left behind。 She also becomes privy to a secret Aran and Tamsin share that could dismantle everything everyone holds dear。
Upsetting the precarious balance in the Rigby home， Linda becomes an unwitting catalyst for the upheaval of Gad’s oppression。 Now it’s time for them all to break free of the past， overcome the unforgivable， and find a new way forward—whatever the price。
Reviews
Gerrie
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DisappointedI was looking forward to reading this book and was very disappointed。 It was so depressing！ I also felt it was very repetitive ， many of the descriptions were repeated in new scenes。 The ending was good but it took a long depressing road to get there。 Hope her next book is more like her first two books。
Karen Heenan
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Every happy family is the same， but every dysfunctional family makes absorbing reading。 The Rigby family is no exception - in fact， they might be a prime example。 The Rise of Light is a richly detailed portrait of a family， a community， and a religion that both holds and tears apart that family and community。 For all that the main characters are sympathetic， none of them are particularly likable， because they all keep secrets and hurt each other to protect themselves。 Gad， the patriarch of the R Every happy family is the same， but every dysfunctional family makes absorbing reading。 The Rigby family is no exception - in fact， they might be a prime example。 The Rise of Light is a richly detailed portrait of a family， a community， and a religion that both holds and tears apart that family and community。 For all that the main characters are sympathetic， none of them are particularly likable， because they all keep secrets and hurt each other to protect themselves。 Gad， the patriarch of the Rigby family， is an awful human: an abusive father， a distant husband， and something more， which， when his carefully seeded backstory appears， makes you empathize with him even as you want to punch him into the next state。Aran and Tamsin， two of Gad's children， deal with their father's tempers in different ways。 Aran tries to conform and to make his father happy， but nothing he does will ever be enough - and if his father discovers his secret painting， it will get even worse。 Tamsin wants nothing more than to escape and be able to control her own life。 As always， Hawker is top notch at her descriptions of landscape， so vivid that you can see it。 Her handling of Aran's art， how he sees light and renders it on canvas， are is also very convincing and evocative。 。。。more
Ruth
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There is SO much anger in this book！ Anger， frustration， despair， hatred， and a horrible， misguided belief that men （only） have the right to dominate and control everyone in their family just because of their sex。 As someone who is essentially opposed to organized religion and all the misery it causes， staying with this story is a serious challenge。 If I'd not read and loved other books by this author， I'd have just deleted it and written off the money paid for it。 Geeze， so frustrating。 I am re There is SO much anger in this book！ Anger， frustration， despair， hatred， and a horrible， misguided belief that men （only） have the right to dominate and control everyone in their family just because of their sex。 As someone who is essentially opposed to organized religion and all the misery it causes， staying with this story is a serious challenge。 If I'd not read and loved other books by this author， I'd have just deleted it and written off the money paid for it。 Geeze， so frustrating。 I am really pulling for the three "normal" young people， hoping they break free from all this bondage and be the person the Creator designed them to be despite the hateful， despicable man Gad （the father） did to squash them。 The author has serious chops to pull off a balance between the extreme tension and moving the story forward。 Kudos to her。 。。。more
Heather LitChick4ever
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The story in this book is told from the perspective of multiple narrators， members of the Rigby family， and friends as well as newcomers to the family， and instead of the chapters having only numbers， the author has given the chapters titles as well。This story explores our ability to forgive not only others， but ourselves and to move forward。 There are metaphors present in this novel which for me added to the experience of reading。 This novel also covers family obligation and the ties to family， The story in this book is told from the perspective of multiple narrators， members of the Rigby family， and friends as well as newcomers to the family， and instead of the chapters having only numbers， the author has given the chapters titles as well。This story explores our ability to forgive not only others， but ourselves and to move forward。 There are metaphors present in this novel which for me added to the experience of reading。 This novel also covers family obligation and the ties to family， friends， and community。 This novel is very well written and I felt almost as immersed in this story as I did when I read One For The Blackbird， One For The Crow， which remains my favorite of the two books I have read by this author and I highly recommend reading it。 。。。more
Booksandcoffeepleasemx
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𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨， 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨！What an amazing and beautiful written story， this is my first book from this author and I loved her writting style。The Rise of Light is a fantastic story about family， love， rebellion and acceptance。 I loved it！Thank you Lake Union Authors for this gifted copy。𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯， 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢， 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯， 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴。https://www。instagram。com/booksandcof。。。 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨， 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨！What an amazing and beautiful written story， this is my first book from this author and I loved her writting style。The Rise of Light is a fantastic story about family， love， rebellion and acceptance。 I loved it！Thank you Lake Union Authors for this gifted copy。𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯， 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢， 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯， 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴。https://www。instagram。com/booksandcof。。。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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1975 is a time of immense change in the lives of the Rigby family in Rexburg， Idaho。 Aran， back from his Mormon mission， paints in secret while working for his angry father Gad。 He's considered the black sheep of the family because of an incident when he was a teen but little does Gad know the extent of his daughter Tamsin's thoughts。 An outsider-Linda- arrives in town having joined the church in search of family but she struggles for acceptance。 I've been a fan of Hawker for her unique take on 1975 is a time of immense change in the lives of the Rigby family in Rexburg， Idaho。 Aran， back from his Mormon mission， paints in secret while working for his angry father Gad。 He's considered the black sheep of the family because of an incident when he was a teen but little does Gad know the extent of his daughter Tamsin's thoughts。 An outsider-Linda- arrives in town having joined the church in search of family but she struggles for acceptance。 I've been a fan of Hawker for her unique take on situations as well as her writing。 While both are true here， this is also a bit slow- but still a rewarding read。 Thanks to netgalley for the ARC。 I'd love to know what eventually happened to everyone。 。。。more
Cindy Stamm
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This is a serious look at the strength of family loyalty， the fragility of perception， and the power of expectations。 Definitely not a light read， but very well written。
Cindy
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This is a beautifully written story by the author of One For the Blackbird， One for the Crow which I loved！ I’m not one for family dramas but this family grabbed a hold of me and I wanted everyone to get along and just be happy！ The story focuses on the Mormon religion and a controlling abusive father。 Two of his children rebel while the other two follow their faith faithfully。 Can dreams come true or will these children be forever under the thumb of their father and Mormon life。 This story was This is a beautifully written story by the author of One For the Blackbird， One for the Crow which I loved！ I’m not one for family dramas but this family grabbed a hold of me and I wanted everyone to get along and just be happy！ The story focuses on the Mormon religion and a controlling abusive father。 Two of his children rebel while the other two follow their faith faithfully。 Can dreams come true or will these children be forever under the thumb of their father and Mormon life。 This story was an emotional ride and certainly an eye-opener into the Mormon life and beliefs。 I received this book from the author for an honest review。 。。。more
Charlene Carr
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It's not often I find a book that moved me the way this one does。 Hawker's ability to delve into the mind of characters I otherwise may have found despicable or pathetic is awe-inducing。I love stories that throw out the concept of black and white， good and evil， and draw us instead into a world of greys by showing the complexities of human thought， feeling and motivation。 This is definitely one of those books。It reminded me of a painting: a work of art you can sit back and contemplate as you app It's not often I find a book that moved me the way this one does。 Hawker's ability to delve into the mind of characters I otherwise may have found despicable or pathetic is awe-inducing。I love stories that throw out the concept of black and white， good and evil， and draw us instead into a world of greys by showing the complexities of human thought， feeling and motivation。 This is definitely one of those books。It reminded me of a painting: a work of art you can sit back and contemplate as you appreciate its beauty and complexity。For my full thoughts， click here for my video book chat。 。。。more
Bridget
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The Rise of Light is a family drama by Olivia Hawker。The setting for the novel is Rexburg， Idaho， in 1975。 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。 They are Mormons and they vary in their following of the religion。 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。 Things change with the arrival of Linda Duff from Seat The Rise of Light is a family drama by Olivia Hawker。The setting for the novel is Rexburg， Idaho， in 1975。 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。 They are Mormons and they vary in their following of the religion。 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。 Things change with the arrival of Linda Duff from Seattle。。。This is a well-written story， told from different perspectives。 The author describes Aran's paintings so beautifully as well as the locale， making it seem as if I were present。 The characters are multidimensional and very real。 The dynamics of the Rigby family are fully explored and the story progresses to a surprising conclusion。Disclosure: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for providing a digital ARC of The Rise of Light by Olivia Hawker， via Netgalley for review。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more
elcissoni
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4。5 stars rounded up。This book is not only well written but is also thoroughly interesting as it examines 1975 life in a rural Idaho town that is predominately Mormon。 Olivia Hawker explores family， identity， community， love， emotional/mental abuse， and finding oneself。 As I read， I felt like I was an observer from above， watching as the characters’ lives unfolded and yet finding myself unknowingly drawn into their story， getting caught up in their everyday drama。In addition to The Ragged Edge o 4。5 stars rounded up。This book is not only well written but is also thoroughly interesting as it examines 1975 life in a rural Idaho town that is predominately Mormon。 Olivia Hawker explores family， identity， community， love， emotional/mental abuse， and finding oneself。 As I read， I felt like I was an observer from above， watching as the characters’ lives unfolded and yet finding myself unknowingly drawn into their story， getting caught up in their everyday drama。In addition to The Ragged Edge of Night， also by Hawker， I will be recommending this book。 I’ve yet to read One for the Blackbird， One for the Crow but it has been on my TBR list for a while now。 This book does have some mild language and implied sex but nothing more than a kiss here and there。Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book。 The opinions expressed in this review are my own。 。。。more
Diane
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This is my first book by this author and I will be trying her others soon！ This book taught me something about the Mormons and strict religions ， I love how the the light comes into play with art and settings 。。 family is important and trying to work through differences too， the ending was appropriate and would recommend this book ！
Jeanne Mac
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This is my first Olivia Hawker book。 Oh my heavens。 The characters seem so real！ When I feel I am actually IN the book， it's a great read， as far as I'm concerned。 Following the Rigby family， as the children deal with their parents strict Mormon beliefs， gives us a good view on the religion。 I found that very interesting。 I loved the devotion that Tamsin and her older brother Aran had for each other。 They both deal with their own issues and with their Father that we get to really feel for them b This is my first Olivia Hawker book。 Oh my heavens。 The characters seem so real！ When I feel I am actually IN the book， it's a great read， as far as I'm concerned。 Following the Rigby family， as the children deal with their parents strict Mormon beliefs， gives us a good view on the religion。 I found that very interesting。 I loved the devotion that Tamsin and her older brother Aran had for each other。 They both deal with their own issues and with their Father that we get to really feel for them both。 The newcomer Linda gets a wide-eyed view of the the family and the Mormon religion。 I find I was rooting for all of these characters。 The importance of family rings though， from start to finish。 Having driven through Idaho many years ago （from Eastern Canada）， I could picture all the lovely scenery described in the book。 It was perfectly described。 This won't be the last book I read by Olivia Hawker。 Thank you for opening my eyes to your wonderful writing！ 。。。more
Amanda （TheBookwormAdventures）
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Olivia Hawker is one of my absolute favorite authors when it comes to beautifully written， immersive historical fiction。 The Rise of Light focuses on a Mormon family in Idaho in the 1970s， fraught with tension due to its patriarch， Gad Rigby， and his desire to be in control at all times。 While his middle children， twin 19 year old sons， are the picture of the ideal Mormon men， his eldest son， Aran， and youngest child， a daughter named Tamsin， constantly challenge him。 Aran and Tamsin struggle wi Olivia Hawker is one of my absolute favorite authors when it comes to beautifully written， immersive historical fiction。 The Rise of Light focuses on a Mormon family in Idaho in the 1970s， fraught with tension due to its patriarch， Gad Rigby， and his desire to be in control at all times。 While his middle children， twin 19 year old sons， are the picture of the ideal Mormon men， his eldest son， Aran， and youngest child， a daughter named Tamsin， constantly challenge him。 Aran and Tamsin struggle with their own identities， both in their town and with their faith。 Then an outsider and convert to their faith， Linda， enters their town and the picture - falling for Aran and befriending Tamsin - and changes the courses of their lives in ways great and small。 Aran is an artist and the descriptive writing of both the scenery and his art is phenomenal。 I felt like I was there。 But there is not just beautiful imagery， the characters are fully developed， interesting， flawed - everything I love to see。 The plot kept me interested and reading quickly， without it feeling rushed。 I’m glad I have this one preordered - I can’t wait to add it to my shelves next to her others！ 。。。more
Shirley McAllister
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Peace withinA community ， a religion， and a dysfunctional family living in denial。 An abusive father， very controlling almost destroys the family。A son tortured by his religious belief， or lack of， torn over his need for independence and his love for his father。A daughter that learns the price of standing up to her father and disobeying him， and a wife that retreads further and further away into herself。A young woman that moves to the small community to find peace and finds anything but。 She is Peace withinA community ， a religion， and a dysfunctional family living in denial。 An abusive father， very controlling almost destroys the family。A son tortured by his religious belief， or lack of， torn over his need for independence and his love for his father。A daughter that learns the price of standing up to her father and disobeying him， and a wife that retreads further and further away into herself。A young woman that moves to the small community to find peace and finds anything but。 She is different and does not fit in or conform to the strict rules of the church and the community。 When she falls in love with the oldest son and he moves out of the family home the father becomes enraged and causes problems for his son’s art career。 As he continues in his anger he loses his daughter as well。It takes an act of God， a natural disaster to bring this family back together。I like the way the children look to each other and how the community rallies around in time of need。 This was a good lesson in faith and caring。 To let your children live a happy life you must let them make choices for themselves。 The job of a parent is to guide their children in faith a teach them to make good choices， not to plan， organize or live their lives for them。 It was a good story， I would recommend it。Thanks to Olivia Hawker， Lake Union Publishing， and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy for my honest review。 。。。more
Sally Hanan
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Another different kind of story from Hawker that has all the feels。 I love her use of words for light and sounds and all the connections they make; and in this novel， she captures both but from a human point of view - the light and sounds of the heart， the mind， and how both affect the soul。 I think most readers of faith will identify with the desperation in a man/woman to feel okay， to be enough， Most women always feel this way， but religion tends to amplify this need， because now not only do w Another different kind of story from Hawker that has all the feels。 I love her use of words for light and sounds and all the connections they make; and in this novel， she captures both but from a human point of view - the light and sounds of the heart， the mind， and how both affect the soul。 I think most readers of faith will identify with the desperation in a man/woman to feel okay， to be enough， Most women always feel this way， but religion tends to amplify this need， because now not only do we "have to" be enough for other people; we also have to be enough for God。What Hawker manages to do， though， is challenge that。 She manages to strip away all of the formulas and rules we've made up along the way and pull us back to what matters， what's true - the heart of family for us all， and the heart of God rather than the unnecessary reach for him in others。 Because what is faith if we cannot accept that everything has already been done for us？ And all we can do is accept our own humanity， perhaps even laugh at it， and open our hearts and plug in to the silver cord of heart and light that is freely given。 That's what this book is。 A grand reconnection to all we really long for so we can be whole。 。。。more
Timothy Batson
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I have a lot of bias for her writing as I am friends with the author， but this is a great read （thanks for the ARC！）。 The Rise of Light details the drama and intricacies of a family on the cusp change in a rural Mormon community in eastern Idaho in the 1970's。 I'm not necessarily drawn to family stories outright， but this one hits me in the feels in so many ways。 Having been raised in the Mormon faith， the culture， expectations， trauma， and faith of the characters all spoke to me。 I'm really gla I have a lot of bias for her writing as I am friends with the author， but this is a great read （thanks for the ARC！）。 The Rise of Light details the drama and intricacies of a family on the cusp change in a rural Mormon community in eastern Idaho in the 1970's。 I'm not necessarily drawn to family stories outright， but this one hits me in the feels in so many ways。 Having been raised in the Mormon faith， the culture， expectations， trauma， and faith of the characters all spoke to me。 I'm really glad I read thisHawker's prose is elegant and flowing。 She captures her environments in an ancient and visceral way， so expect to be transported as you read this。 TRoL has a slow burn to it， which aids the growing tension of the story。 It will be released 08/17/21， so I recommend getting your preorders in now。 。。。more
Liz
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4。5 starsThis book is perfect for those that love a good family drama。 The Rigby family is hard core Mormon。 Or at least the parents are。 Two of the four kids， Aran and Tamsin， are trying to sort out what they believe。 The book covers expectations， obligations， obedience and how it all ties in with their religion。 I loved how Hawker delves into the search for meaning， to finding a place where one belongs。 Mormonism is one of those religions I’ve never truly understood。 It doesn’t come off well i 4。5 starsThis book is perfect for those that love a good family drama。 The Rigby family is hard core Mormon。 Or at least the parents are。 Two of the four kids， Aran and Tamsin， are trying to sort out what they believe。 The book covers expectations， obligations， obedience and how it all ties in with their religion。 I loved how Hawker delves into the search for meaning， to finding a place where one belongs。 Mormonism is one of those religions I’ve never truly understood。 It doesn’t come off well in this book。 The misogyny of the religion （at least as practiced in this town） is horrendous。 I would have run screaming from that town never to return。 The characters are wonderfully in depth and nuanced。 The father， Gad， has the same artistic talents as his son Aran but worries they are somehow wrong， too feminine。 He would be an easy man to hate， which makes his children’s attempts to keep their love for him alive all the more heartrending。 Both Tamsin and Aran want more in life than what is being offered to them。 The chapters alternate between the characters， which worked well for me as we got to see what each of them were thinking。 She uses Linda， a newcomer and true outsider to the community， as a way for the reader to see the community in an unbiased way， especially the way opinions are formed and never revised。 The writing is fantastic。 I could picture the Idaho landscape， the flatness， the colors。 Aran is an artist and Hawker does a great job talking about how he creates art and the pleasure it gives not just him， but several others。 Hawker knows of what she writes， as she grew up in a traditional Latter Day Saints family that had ties to Rexburg。 And in a weird twist， the one thing in the book that I felt might be a tad unbelievable actually happened。 At times， I felt the book could have been pared down a little， that a better editing job could have made it more taut。 For that reason， I can’t give it a full five stars。 But it is definitely an interesting， well done story that I have no trouble heartily recommending。 This is another book that would make a great book club selection。 My thanks to netgalley and Lake Union for an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Linda
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This book tells the story of a brother and sister who are growing up in an ultra-conservative Mormon household in the mid 1970s。 They have a very strong father who values his standing in the community， cares about what people think， and is very hard on his children， expecting them to behave in a way that honors the traditions of the church。 Aron is an adult now。 He feels he has always done what was expected。 But has the sacrifice been too much？ Is it even recognized？ Tamsin， his sister， is seven This book tells the story of a brother and sister who are growing up in an ultra-conservative Mormon household in the mid 1970s。 They have a very strong father who values his standing in the community， cares about what people think， and is very hard on his children， expecting them to behave in a way that honors the traditions of the church。 Aron is an adult now。 He feels he has always done what was expected。 But has the sacrifice been too much？ Is it even recognized？ Tamsin， his sister， is seventeen， a rebel who questions everything。 And then there's Linda， an outsider， who comes to this small town in Idaho from Seattle seeking nothing more than a loving family and a place to simply fit in and feel worthy。 A simmering resentment becomes a slow boil threatening to overflow leaving each one of them questioning everything they've ever known。 This is a substantial book。 But I read it in two days because I couldn't stop thinking about it。 The characters come alive on the page holding secrets from each other as they try to find their way in a world that very often doesn't make sense。 This story is not predictable， so don't get comfortable。 It does not take the easy path。 Totally absorbing。 Thank you to Olivia Hawker for my advance reader's copy。 I loved it。 。。。more
Mary Ellen Anaka
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I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read The Rise Of Light by Olivia Hawker。 I did enjoy this story about a Mormon family， in a small town in the United States。 Gad's family consists of his wife， three sons and one daughter。 His oldest son， Aran， he wants him to take over the family sign business。 Aran wants to be an artist。 His mother knows of his art。 So does his sister， Tamsin。 His two younger brothers， tried to please their father。 Gad was beyond strict！ He w I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read The Rise Of Light by Olivia Hawker。 I did enjoy this story about a Mormon family， in a small town in the United States。 Gad's family consists of his wife， three sons and one daughter。 His oldest son， Aran， he wants him to take over the family sign business。 Aran wants to be an artist。 His mother knows of his art。 So does his sister， Tamsin。 His two younger brothers， tried to please their father。 Gad was beyond strict！ He was mean and controlling。 Tamsin， was a free spirit！ She knew what she wanted。 She wanted to go to university or college。 Her father wanted her to marry at 19 and have babies。 So Gad was always at odds with Aran and Tamsin- he would have been livid if he knew their secret。 Then Linda， an outsider comes along。 Both Aran and Tamsin befriend her。 Then all hell fire lets loose。 I really enjoyed this book。 The author clearly knew Mormon history， and what it is like for children growing up in a strict， loveless family。 You teach what you know。 Gad gave up his dream， and so should Aran。 No school for Tamsin。 or her dreams。 I give this 4 out of 5。 。。。more
Beth Moylan
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This is the first book I have read by Olivia Hawker。 It was amazing。 I definitely want to read her other books。 This is a story about a Mormon family in rural Idaho in 1970's。 The Rigby family is made up of father， Gad， mother， son Aran， daughter Tamsin and twin boys。 The parents are strict Mormons and the children vary in their degree of approval of the religion。 The novel mainly focuses on Gad， Aran and Tamsin。 Gad is an extremely psychologically abusive father who runs his family HIS way and This is the first book I have read by Olivia Hawker。 It was amazing。 I definitely want to read her other books。 This is a story about a Mormon family in rural Idaho in 1970's。 The Rigby family is made up of father， Gad， mother， son Aran， daughter Tamsin and twin boys。 The parents are strict Mormons and the children vary in their degree of approval of the religion。 The novel mainly focuses on Gad， Aran and Tamsin。 Gad is an extremely psychologically abusive father who runs his family HIS way and refuses to let them make their own decisions。 This book follows Aran and Tamsin Rigby as they face constant battles with their emotionally-abusive father， Gad。 Aran struggles to make his father happy and Tamsin just wants to escape， both the town and the faith。 Aran meets an "outsider" who brings out the best of him。 Linda convinces him to move out of his family home and sell his paintings。 The story continues from there。 This was a beautifully written story and very Enjoyable。 。。。more
KarenK2
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I received this from Netgalley。com。 1975， Aran Rigby his sister Tamsin long with their two brothers are locked in orbit around their emotionally abusive father and a cult-like fear controlling religion。The writing is okay and the characters interesting enough but I wasn't feeling the story。2。75☆ I received this from Netgalley。com。 1975， Aran Rigby his sister Tamsin long with their two brothers are locked in orbit around their emotionally abusive father and a cult-like fear controlling religion。The writing is okay and the characters interesting enough but I wasn't feeling the story。2。75☆ 。。。more
Lynn Scornavacca
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This book weaves the intricacies of family relationships and the tangles of religion in a brilliant view of how imprints of an abusive parent can make on our existence。 I always wondered how someone could embrace a very strict religion that they were not born into and how those born into it survive with out suffocating。The importance of family， sisterhood by birth and by love and how some one can wrap the restrictiveness of a religion around themselves like a warm cloak。It's just a great read。 G This book weaves the intricacies of family relationships and the tangles of religion in a brilliant view of how imprints of an abusive parent can make on our existence。 I always wondered how someone could embrace a very strict religion that they were not born into and how those born into it survive with out suffocating。The importance of family， sisterhood by birth and by love and how some one can wrap the restrictiveness of a religion around themselves like a warm cloak。It's just a great read。 Go for it。 。。。more
Rica
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This book is absolutely amazing
Dagnes
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Like Costco Chocolate CakeAs a fan of Costco Chocolate Cake， the 7 pound cake layered with various amounts of chocolate， I could find no better analogy for Olivia Hawker's books。 Her books are true literature that truly pull you in， but because of the richness of the prose and the painted scenes， these should be slowly consumed to be truly enjoyed。 Like that favored cake where a slice is plenty， a few chapters are all that is needed for each sitting。I read Olivia Hawker's two other books before Like Costco Chocolate CakeAs a fan of Costco Chocolate Cake， the 7 pound cake layered with various amounts of chocolate， I could find no better analogy for Olivia Hawker's books。 Her books are true literature that truly pull you in， but because of the richness of the prose and the painted scenes， these should be slowly consumed to be truly enjoyed。 Like that favored cake where a slice is plenty， a few chapters are all that is needed for each sitting。I read Olivia Hawker's two other books before delving into this one and found that "The Rise of Light" was no different。 This book takes us just a few decades into the past where we meet Linda Duff and the Rigby family。 Each character is well-written: showing their humanity and complexity。 For those of you that have read Hawker's other books - there is one difference in "Rise of Light" from the previous ones: there is a restraint in the writing。 You feel like something is held back 。 Given that this is about a deeply religious community where propriety is heralded， that restraint became like another character to me - just hovering over the book and its characters。 I felt like there was more that *could* be uncovered。 Weeks later， I find myself walking through the town of Rexburg wondering if I can peek into the windows of the homes to learn more about each household and how they are living once I turned the last page。I received an Advanced Reader Copy （ARC） which did not influence my review。 。。。more
Sue
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The Rise of Light takes place in 1975 in Rexburg， Idaho。 The Rigby family is made up of father， Gad， mother， son Aran， daughter Tamsin and twin boys。 The parents are strict Mormons and the children vary in their degree of approval of the religion。 The novel mainly focuses on Gad， Aran and Tamsin。 Gad is an extremely psychologically abusive father who runs his family HIS way and refuses to let them make their own decisions。Aran and Tamsin are rebelling against their father at every turn。 Aran is The Rise of Light takes place in 1975 in Rexburg， Idaho。 The Rigby family is made up of father， Gad， mother， son Aran， daughter Tamsin and twin boys。 The parents are strict Mormons and the children vary in their degree of approval of the religion。 The novel mainly focuses on Gad， Aran and Tamsin。 Gad is an extremely psychologically abusive father who runs his family HIS way and refuses to let them make their own decisions。Aran and Tamsin are rebelling against their father at every turn。 Aran is an aspiring artist who has to hide his paintings and Tamsin is a rebellious girl who longs to leave Rexberg as soon as she graduates from high school。 She knows that she can't continue to be part of her family or their religion。 Aran and Tamsin are close to each other and rely on each other to express their rebellion。 It all changes when Linda moves to town trying to escape her unhappy childhood and she and Aran fall in love。 But Aran and Tamasin have a secret that they know will ruin their father and their family。 Will that secret come to light now that Linda is part of their lives？This is a beautifully written story。 The author describes Aran's paintings so that the reader can almost see them。 She describes the beautiful scenery so that we feel like we are there。 Her characters are well written and very real。 Her writing is exquisite in describing the beauty as well as the ugly dynamics of the Rigby family。 The story progresses to a surprising but perfect ending。This novel is a beautiful written novel about light - not just the light that is shown in paintings but the light that shines through everyone's lives and how people decide to use it or not。 It's a book fill of family love and rebellion， small town secrets and an all encompassing religion that ultimately controls everyone's lives。 Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Kristen Claiborn
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The Rigby family lives in Rexburg， Idaho， and they aren’t the happiest family in this tight-knit Mormon community。 This book follows Aran and Tamsin Rigby as they face constant battles with their emotionally-abusive father， Gad。 Aran struggles to make his father happy and Tamsin just wants to escape， both the town and the faith。 Then comes outsider， Linda Duff， who disrupts the already tenuous relationships amongst the family members。 tYou know how you feel when you’ve been outside on a hot summ The Rigby family lives in Rexburg， Idaho， and they aren’t the happiest family in this tight-knit Mormon community。 This book follows Aran and Tamsin Rigby as they face constant battles with their emotionally-abusive father， Gad。 Aran struggles to make his father happy and Tamsin just wants to escape， both the town and the faith。 Then comes outsider， Linda Duff， who disrupts the already tenuous relationships amongst the family members。 tYou know how you feel when you’ve been outside on a hot summer day and you’re really thirsty？ So you grab a glass of ice water and gulp it until you can’t breathe。 You find yourself extremely satisfied but still wanting more… That’s the best way to describe this book。 Every sentence in this book is exquisitely formed， like Hawker cared deeply for every word， every letter。 Her sentences flow together seamlessly， like a long river with no bends or breaks。 It was amazing to read。 Hawker’s characters are lovingly crafted， and I get the feeling that she has intimate knowledge of each of them。 Gad， the father， is written so that he is infuriating yet at the same time he elicits a certain degree of sympathy。 She also writes about the faith in a conflicting manner as well。 She shows how limited and confining the expectations are， but she also shows how the community is incredibly helpful and necessary in their lives。 It’s a deeply emotional story and I honestly can’t say enough how wonderful it is。 。。。more
Jeff
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Complicated Yet Beautiful。 Hawker has a way of painting pictures with words that are utterly beautiful， and yet also utterly ugly at the same time。 Ultimately， this book reads like a more evocative， more painting quality version of the somewhat similar story David Duchovny created in Truly Like Lightning， even as it seems that both authors were working on these works for quite a number of years。 Particularly in their showing of the worse sides of Mormon life， complete with overbearing and hypocr Complicated Yet Beautiful。 Hawker has a way of painting pictures with words that are utterly beautiful， and yet also utterly ugly at the same time。 Ultimately， this book reads like a more evocative， more painting quality version of the somewhat similar story David Duchovny created in Truly Like Lightning， even as it seems that both authors were working on these works for quite a number of years。 Particularly in their showing of the worse sides of Mormon life， complete with overbearing and hypocritical fathers， this reads almost like as much an attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as the character study that it is。 And yet， again， the way Hawker executes it here is utterly beautiful in its prose and storytelling。 Hawker sucks you in， weaving these plot threads near and around each other before bringing them all together to grand effect。 Ultimately the biggest quibble with this entire effort isn't Hawker's writing， but the actual description of the book - which leads one to believe certain aspects arguably happen sooner than they do。 Indeed， Linda becoming "privy to a secret Aran and Tamsin share that could dismantle everything everyone holds dear" happens quite late （later than 80%， maybe even closer to the 90% mark）， though again， the actual execution here is quite solid and indeed allows the book to end in surprising ways that were only very subtly hinted at much earlier。 Even Aran and Lucy getting together to begin with seems to happen much later in the tale than the description seems to indicate， though that relationship *is* particularly well developed。 Ultimately this is a book that Mormons likely won't like， people with various misconceptions about Mormonism will probably tout， but one that tells a remarkable tale in the end。 Recommended。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Having previously enjoyed The Ragged Edge of Night by this author， I was excited to read this one。 The author writes beautifully descriptive paragraphs about the landscape and her insights into the family relationships are insightful。 Unfortunately， I just found it a repetitive slog and I never found myself immersed in the story。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Rise of Light
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Rise of Light&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Rise of Light&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0