It is summer in the south of France, and Pea and her little sister Margot spend their days running free, inventing games in the meadow behind their house. But Pea has worries beyond her five and a half years. Her father has died in an accident, and her mother has just lost a baby. Maman is English, already isolated in this small, foreign village, and in her compounded grief, she has retreated even further. Pea and Margot stay out of her way and try to make things better, but they can't make Maman happy again. When Pea befriends Claude, a man who seems to love the meadow as she does, she wonders if he could be a new papa. But why do the other villagers view Claude with suspicion, and what secrets does his large empty house hold?Beautifully written, haunting, and full of surprises, The Night Rainbow is a novel about innocence and experience, grief and compassion, and the blessings and perils of imagination.
From Booklist
Five-and-a-half-year-old PeonyโPea for shortโhas become awfully good at entertaining herself. Practicing cartwheels in the meadow behind her house, picking blackberries from the bramble bushes, feeding the chickens in the coop . . . anything to stay out of her very pregnant motherโs way. After Peaโs father passed away from a sudden heart attack, Peaโs mother seems to have given up on all but the basic upkeep of the house, herself, and Pea. When Pea meets a stranger and his dog in the meadow, she discovers a series of secrets in his dusty house that affects her entire world. Kingโs debut is a poetic, engaging story with a slow-burning plot set in the idyllic French countryside. Kingโs authorial voice shines through Pea, as her skillful narration is childishly authentic without being cloying or cutesy. Reminiscent of Myla Goldbergโs Bee Season (2000) and Emma Donoghueโs Room (2010) but decidedly lighter, The Night Rainbow is an ode to childhood resilience with a blink-and-youโll-miss-it twist ending. Gorgeously written and deeply heartfelt, Kingโs novel captures one familyโs reaction to and tentative return from seemingly insurmountable tragedy. --Stephanie Turza
Review
Quirky, elegant and sweet: I loved it! Joanne Harris At once moving and gripping, elegant and spare, The Night Rainbow is a daring novel about a child faced with the baffling world of adult grief. Claire King nails the voice of the child narrator from the first page; Pea is a heroine you won't forget Maggie O'Farrell