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Night Navigation: A Novel

3.35 of 5 stars 3.35 · rating details · 43 ratings · 13 reviews

Night Navigation opens on a freezing-rain night in upstate New York: the kindling gone, the fire in the woodstove out. Del’s thirty-seven-year-old manic-depressive son needs a ride, but she’s afraid to make the long drive north to the only detox that has a bed.

Through the four seasons, Night Navigation takes us into the deranged, darkly humorous world of the addict—from b...more

Paperback, 324 pages

Published April 14th 2010 by Mariner Books (first published April 14th 2009)

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Mar 03, 2012 Bonnie Brody rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ginnah Howard's Night Navigation is a powerful and unflinching novel about drug addiction and mental illness. It is beautifully written in a terse and spare style that is both rich and evocative. The narrative reminded me of the music of Erik Satie or the pizzicato violin in the andante movement of Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto. The writing is that beautiful and melodic. It made me rise out of myself into the world that Ms. Howard has created.

The story takes place in a one year time period...more Ginnah Howard's Night Navigation is a powerful and unflinching novel about drug addiction and mental illness. It is beautifully written in a terse and spare style that is both rich and evocative. The narrative reminded me of the music of Erik Satie or the pizzicato violin in the andante movement of Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto. The writing is that beautiful and melodic. It made me rise out of myself into the world that Ms. Howard has created.

The story takes place in a one year time period in upstate New York. Del is a retired high school teacher and artist. She is the mother of 37 year-old Mark who has been diagnosed as a MICA, a dually diagnosed 'mentally ill chemical abuser'. Mark is manic depressive and a heroin addict. He has been in and out of rehab and various psychiatric hospitals. As the book begins, Mark is once again wanting to go to detox and then rehab in a therapeutic community. Like a fugue, the chapters switch back and forth between Del and Mark, sharing their thoughts, feelings and actions. They are separate yet superimposed on one another.

Mark is on a lot of psychotropic medications including Zyprexa (an antipsychotic), neurontin (a mood stabilizer), and an antidepressant. He talks about the various side effects of the medications: weight gain, fuzzy tongue, tardive dyskinesia, an incipient manic episode. He has a history of stealing in order to get money for drugs. He once took Del's car, worth $8,000 and sold it for $700. He has drug dealers after him trying to get the money that he owes them. When the novel begins, Mark is living with Del, a living situation that is not working out for her. She is terrified every time the phone rings - that it will be one of Mark's dealers, that someone will be calling to tell her about a crisis, or that she will be notified that Mark is dead. Del is an enabler and is working hard to let go of Mark, to not buy into his life issues. "When the phone rings, think marsupial: once he gets too big for the pouch, out you go." She is torn between being "Mama Marsupial" and being "Mama Bear". What makes it so difficult for Del to let go of Mark is that her husband, Lee, committed suicide when her sons were boys. Mark's brother, Aaron, also committed suicide seven years ago. Del is terrified that she will lose Mark, too.

There is a lot about twelve-step programs in this book and the author is very familiar with them. She writes about AA, NA and Al-Anon with a knowledge that is authentic and wise. When Del is thinking about the family program at Mark's rehab center, in which family "are integrated into the clinical process as thoroughly as possible on an encouraged voluntary basis", her response is "As thoroughly as possible . . .on an encouraged voluntary basis. Between these carefully edited phrases, this chorus: Night after night we expected to find out this person was dead. Hundreds of promises have been broken. You want us to open up, on an encouraged voluntary basis, to hope again, as thoroughly as possible to feel that pain once more". For Del, every day is a challenge. She tries to avoid the telephone, she has to walk past the cabin where Aaron was living when he took his life. "What happens in her gut when the phone rings and whether she can look up this hill or not are the two barometers of how she's really feeling".

Del's life is paved with crisis after crisis. Mark wants everything done right away, yesterday if possible. Del jumps to accommodate Mark's requests and demands. This makes her relationship with her long-time partner, Richard, rocky. He wants her to have clearer boundaries and limits with Mark. He doesn't really get the pressure and fear that Del is living under. Ms. Howard is carefully non-judgmental about Del and Mark, presenting their situations and outcomes in a compassionate and straight-forward way. Even when Del repeats the same errors in judgment that allow her to be used by Mark, there is no condescension or sense of 'I told you so' in the story. Concomitantly, Mark is not judged when he relapses or acts in a profoundly wrong manner. These are two people who love each other, trying to get through their days, one day at a time - - difficult days that Ms. Howard knows no one but them can truly understand.

It is poignant when Del is sitting in her living room and "She sees she's pulled the cushion over to rest on her knees. The pillow to shield against a head-on". For this is the stuff of her life - - head-on collisions with no seat belt. The author understands addicts and addictive thinking, the way that an addict manipulates, is self-centered and loses sight of right and wrong in the desire to get the next fix. She realizes how difficult it is for Mark to try one more stint in rehab, this time in what he calls a "junkie boot camp. Going to tear you down; then build you back up. Mortification and absolution." Of course Mark isn't able to cut the mustard in this type of environment but this is not held against him. He is an addict and addicts do what they have to do to get their way, always. As the saying goes in Alcoholics Anonymous, 'Fake it till you make it'. It's all faking, all the time, until real recovery sets in. For Mark, he's a fledgling at all this and has never had any real time being clean and sober. He's never made it to true recovery.

Anger is a huge issue for both Del and Mark. They have difficulty discussing Lee or Aaron's suicide with one another and their anger comes out sideways at one another or turned inward against themselves. One day, while in rehab, Mark is looking in a mirror, "He is the only one left in the bathroom. The face is a death mask. Shifting into Aaron's face. All his teeth ache. Stuff surging up in front of him that he's pretty sure isn't there. Dad in the pole barn, blood all over. Aaron, drifting down. And always the low hum." The ghosts of Aaron and Lee are always in the background of Mark and Del's lives. They live in despair, fear, if only's, what ifs, and quiet desperation. It's hard to imagine what it's like to be the only two members left of a nuclear family, the only half of that family that has not succumbed to suicide.

Ms. Howard knows mental illness well. She describes the incessant smoking that most manic depressives and schizophrenics need in order to balance their minds. Mark says to himself at one point, "The trembles are back to moderate and transmissions from outer space reduced to occasional". And this is a fairly good day for him. On bad days he hears click-clacking, humming, and feels like his head might explode. His mouth is like mush and it's hard to speak. Del hates to see Mark like this and she sees herself as a rescuer even if she can't be a savior. It is the only action she can live with - - for what would happen to her if Mark took the same route as his brother and father.

One might think this is a depressing book and in some ways it certainly is. However, it is a book about hope and resiliency, about love and coping, and about acceptance and second chances. As Roethke, the poet said, "What is madness but nobility of the soul at odds with circumstance". With Mark and Del, we have two noble souls struggling to survive. Thriving is still a long way down the road. But neither of them give up. They keep at it, one day at a time. This is a remarkable book in its reality and starkness, in its ability to light the way for two tormented souls. It is a book that kept me up all night reading because I could not put it down.
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Jul 11, 2009 Tina Hayes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vine

In Ginnah Howard's "Night Navigation", we feel the turmoil connected with loving a person who has bipolar disorder and a drug addiction. Del is the mother of 37-year-old Mark (her husband and other son also had mental problems and commited suicide years before the story begins), and she suffers from anxiety due to all she's had to put up with. Medicated and clean, Mark is a sweet and loving person, as witnessed by the love and attention he gives the family dog; off meds and using, he's a menace...more

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Aug 24, 2009 Alice Tasman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Harrowing story of addiction narrated by a son and his mother -- explores not only addiction but also co-occurence of mental illness. Gorgeous writing held me spellbound from start to finish. A must read for anyone who has dealt with addiction...

"The strength of this story pulls Howard's readers along, unable to turn away from a fierce mother and son who are determined to negotiate the future without having to "detour around every moment of their past."

New York Times Book Review, July 5, 2009...more

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May 24, 2009 Michele rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction

This is a story of the pain and despair of drug addiction. This is the story of a mother's worst nightmare: caught between the love for your child and the knowledge that you cannot fix them.

Meet Del, a middle-aged widow, and her grown son Mark. Mark is an addict. Del wants nothing more than to save her son. The odds are against them both. Suicide, mental illness and family dysfunction are all an important part of this story that takes you into the depths of a family's anguish.

There can be no dou...more

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May 07, 2009 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2009

There were many good things in this novel. The writing was good, it held my interest enough to keep me reading. Howard sets a unique tone and atmosphere. Mostly the story is about a mother's attempt to cope with her adult son's drug addiction and mental illness while still `recovering' from losing her husband and younger son to suicide. She's managed to move on enough to have a long term relationship with her lover and express herself through her artwork but she can't quite separate enough from...more There were many good things in this novel. The writing was good, it held my interest enough to keep me reading. Howard sets a unique tone and atmosphere. Mostly the story is about a mother's attempt to cope with her adult son's drug addiction and mental illness while still `recovering' from losing her husband and younger son to suicide. She's managed to move on enough to have a long term relationship with her lover and express herself through her artwork but she can't quite separate enough from her son's needs, she can't find it in herself to love him from a distance even though she is told and believes that's the healthiest response. Also, she's mired in a rural community that's isolated and filled with other drug addicts, some violent or threatening violence. Sadly, even when her son is able to stop using his mental illness still leaves him crippled. It's innately frustrating to read about her dilemma and frustrating to see her listen to other's who want to judge how she loves her son. The fact is, in my opinion, she's a mother and can't stop herself from loving her kid no matter how old he is or how many mistakes he makes. The worst, and most peaceful, part is the end. In a way they relive the mother/infant relationship. It's not ideal but it's probably the only thing they can do other than turn their backs on one another. I take that back. She has choices. He's mentally ill and can't live a healthy life with the drugs that both help and cripple him so his choices or nil or limited. The book even at only 300 pages is too long. Or I wasn't up for the angst level. The addiction paradigm is innately hamster wheelish. Did I say the writing was good? It was. Howard's a writer who deserves our attention.

Cliff notes: He's a drug addict and mentally ill. He messes up...over and over. He can't return her love in any meaningful way. He's broken. They have a shared tragic past they don't understand. She loves him. She can't not love him. She's a mom. At the end they recreate the mother/infant bond. There's some obligatory nature metaphor thrown in.
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Mar 28, 2010 Gigi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I LOVED Night Navigation! I read it last summer, each morning on the dock, at our camp in the Adirondacks and I couldn't get enough of it - Ginnah Howard is a wonderful writer, I was with her every step of the way. She created a world that I was compelled to revisit.

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Jun 01, 2009 Jess rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tackles the part of the story that other novels on this subject miss - the stage when the children are well into adulthood and the parents are aging, and about the new boundaries they are forced to draw as they figure out how to take care of themselves.

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Dec 26, 2010 David rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really wanted to like this book, but I think it was definitely a case of not being the right read for me. I think this book might appeal to an older demographic...personally, I didn't care too much for reading about 60 year-olds getting it on with oral sex and lubricant. The subject matter was dark, which normally isn't a problem for me, but I guess reading about rehab and inflicting pain on mothers was a little much for me.

Again, this would be a great read for other people...it just didn't ti...more

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Sep 14, 2010 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Depressing but real...a local author is always good to check out!

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Jan 14, 2010 Nicole Engard added it · review of another edition

Night Navigation by Ginnah Howard (no date)

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Oct 24, 2009 Tenli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Painful and absorbing story of a mother and her adult son grappling with a family history of mental illness and the son's addiction. Emotionally difficult but gripping account that rings very true to experience, Night Navigation has some moments that made me want to avert my eyes. Highly recommend for those who are willing to go there.

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Jun 15, 2010 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Could not finish this book right now....hits way too close to home for me.

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Mar 13, 2010 Thom Dunn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-own-hardcover, america-1-american, fiction, mental, madness, domestic

A must read for anyone who wants to read of the hell of bipolar disorder addictive behavior from the point of view of parents or caregivers who must, like a good friend of mine, either move in again and again to pick up the pieces and aid their loved one--or give up in dispair.

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Shelves: daddy-dark-s-baby-warrior-list

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Dec 15, 2012 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: addiction

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About Ginnah Howard

Ginnah Howards work has appeared in Water~Stone Review, Portland Review, Permafrost, Phoebe, Ballyhoo, and elsewhere. Work is forthcoming in Natural Bridge, Descant145, KGB Bar Lit, and Eclipse. Her novel NIGHT NAVIGATION, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, will be released April 14, 2009. She lives in Gilbertsville, NY."

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