The Night Gift

by Patricia A. McKillip

As they work to create a beautiful room for the brother of one of them who had attempted suicide, three friends find their lives deeply affected by their project.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary

156 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1976

About the author

Patricia Anne McKillip was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. She wrote predominantly standalone fantasy novels and has been called "one of the most accomplished prose stylists in the fantasy genre". Her work won many awards, including the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008.

Reviews

[Yune · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not know you could be this gentle and yet keen-sighted about the genuine troubles of high schoolers.

Barbara's brother Joe put his hands through a window and has been at a hospital ever since. He's coming back home, and Barbara wants to make him his own place full of beautiful things, a room in an abandoned house where he can perhaps find some measure of peace. Her friends Joslyn and Claudia agree to help, and other people are slowly drawn into the scheme: Joslyn's older brother Brian, who dropped out of school and is often found smoking in the house; and Neil, his friend, who makes Joslyn feel "hollow for a moment, looking at him."

Joslyn is failing her classes even as she sneaks away at night to work on Joe's room, and dealing with her parents and her siblings throughout. There is something pitch-perfect about the relationships depicted, realistic even in McKillip's signature lyrical prose.

It is not a shockingly amazing book. It does not deliver neatly-wrapped happy endings. It is quiet and unhurried and I don't think it'll work for everyone, but it resonated deeply for me.

[Melanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't a bad book, but I do think it's going to disappoint most people who read it. With it being out of print for the last 35 years, I think the majority of people who track it down are going to be die-hard McKillip fans. And unfortunately, it isn't the typical McKillip book.

For one thing, it's not a fantasy which isn't a problem as long as you're not expecting one and for another, it doesn't have McKillip's typical lyrical writing style which is more of an issue.

Also, with the characters being High School freshmen, I was expecting the book to be a bit older. I would personally classify this as more middle grade side of the young adult spectrum, both in style of writing and in presentation. It's a bit disconcerting to have characters talk about The Scarlet Letter and Shakespearian plays while you're looking at illustrations I'd think of as aimed towards 5th and 6th graders. Objectively, though, I don't think there was quite as much gradation in the "Young Adult" genre in the mid 70's as there is today, so that probably explains the seeming disparity.

As for the story on its own merits, it was a quiet, sad (but hopeful) little story. Despite it being out of print for 35 years, the prose it didn't feel dated at all. Other than the illustrations of people wearing bell-bottoms and the lack of cell phones, the book could have been published yesterday. If I hadn't been expecting something more McKillip-ish, I might have rated it higher. But then again, if I hadn't been written by her, I never would have sought it out.

[Jennifer Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite YA novels of all time, this captures a 1970s vibe so nicely. It's a small, personal, but lovely story of love and friendship and what it means to help others by making something beautiful. What we learn is that who we help can be different than what we thought. It deserves to be an indie film.

[Bryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike all other McKillip this is entirely realistic, and I have read this twice before and always I do not remember it very well, so I decided to read it one more time -- in part because it happens near where I live, and while the actual street with the abandoned house is made up, I can triangulate which street McKillip had in mind by the rest of the descriptions. So there is something fascinating in that, to me, seeing this part of the world through someone else's eyes forty-plus years ago.

The novel itself is gentle and melancholy; Joslyn, the protagonist, has loving but very disconnected parents (although I am not certain they seem thus to McKillip), a brother who has dropped out of high school, a younger sister almost entirely on her own trajectory, a slightly older crush who is friends with her brother, and two excellent best friends with their own issues. The plot, such as it is, revolves around creating a beautiful space to welcome home the brother of one of her best friends, who has been 'away' after a suicide attempt -- presumably at a mental hospital. The bulk of the book is about Joslyn navigating her own experiences as she and her friends work on the project and change as a result. If not for the suicide attempt at the centre of the plot, it would be a middle grade novel, because the language is simple and everything happens slowly and clearly -- not spelled out, but there is not much confusion, I think, for an attentive young reader. By the end Joslyn's brother has decided to go back to school, Joslyn has accepted that her crush, Neil, has fallen for Barbara, and Barbara's brother, Joe, has come home and then had another incident and gone back to the hospital again -- but while he seemed to reject the space they made for him, they discover he had been secretly visiting it during his time at home. It is very much about love as action in a way that I like, but there is not very much there in it because it is written so young.

I am glad to have read it this third time, and having done so, I think it is likely enough.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read this looking for the McKillip of the Riddlemaster of Hed or the Forgotten Beasts of Eld.

This is a story for roughly 12-15 year olds that approaches young love, suicide attempt, disjoint families, academic struggles, and dropping out, but all in a skimming fashion.

It tells a tale about not knowing how to help somebody but trying anyway and it tells it moderately well. It's a period piece - no cell phones or computers, for example - but within that setting, McKillip handles things adroitly. Her writing remains solid and quite readable (with the exception of one small bit unfortunate racist description).

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Adult Book

This is about high school students and is written for that audience. It deals with normal teenage issues, like dating and struggling at school, but the overarching story is about a group of kids trying to understand and respond to the attempted suicide of one girl’s brother. The issue of mental illness is handled well given that this book was published in 1976, and we weren’t dealing with it very well then. I doubt this would appeal to a modern young adult audience who have far more knowledge and understanding about these topics now.

This is a standalone novel.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

The good people at "Name that book" on librarything identified the title for me of this beloved book I read 30 years ago.

I remembered this book as very meaningful and sensitively-portrayed. I was all aquiver when I re-read it, fearing that it could not stand up to my memory of it. But it was just as profound and beautiful as I remembered! And charmingly '70s! Coming of age, first love, and the meaning of friendship have all been "done to death," but this novel rings true.

My only adult quibbles are 1) six year old Japanese-American twins are described as "geisha dolls," ugh and 2) the character of Joe, who is mentally ill and coming home from the hospital, is nothing more than a plot device. There's a lot about people imagining how he feels, but no one ever actually has a conversation with him. They're all terrified of him. I guess this is stark realism of its day?

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably a 3.5 or 3.75 but I rounded up because McKillip is so skillful at creating a mood even when the story is a bit uneven. I really felt the slow, summery time period - even California mid 1970s, though there's no explicit grounding in that era. Joslyn actually feels like a real 14 year old, and the part of the story that deals with her heartbreak is so subtle and well done you really feel it. The end, from the disappointment about the room to the resolution, feels a little disjointed - perhaps some things are *too* subtle...nonetheless it ends on a hopeful, open note for the future. Nice. Even though this isn't McKillip's traditional fantasy, it's great to see her take on something modern (at the time she wrote it) and a bit dark.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author never goes in the expected direction; no easy endings or explanations or typical pandering to what teens might want. Instead, this felt like a realistic and appropriately confusing reaction of teenagers to attempted suicide and the uncertainty of growing up.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patricia McKillip is one of the best writers around. She tells a beautiful story that is complex in its simplicity. This was a great book and I am glad that I was able to dig up a copy. It was a quick read, as I finished it in a day, but I do plan to go back and read again more closely.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 Stars)

This book was pleasant to read. It was melancholy and a little juvenile, but sweet and earnest. This isn't my favorite McKillip, but it was quite good. I enjoyed reading it and am happy to have taken the time to do so.

[Maureen E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really not my favorite McKillip. It’s set in the 1970′s and has a very odd Message heavy feel to it which I didn’t enjoy. [March 2010]