There is so much to say about this book, and I highly recommend that you take a chance on it.
As a former English major, I just want to dissect and analyze the whole thing, but I’ll try to keep this short(er.) I think this is an important contemporary book, especially for right now, even as it was so emotionally difficult to get through. (And long, page count-wise, but don’t let that deter you.) On the surface, it’s a book about what happens to a family when its patriarch (Whitey) dies suddenly after a stroke. And in that sense, it’s a sad book because it shows how fleeting life is, even for a person with a huge presence when he is alive.
On another level it is about racism. Whitey being murdered by two white police officers when he tries to save an Indian man who they had mistaken for a Black man, and his son’s fight for justice any way he can find it.
And, maybe more importantly, it was about the quieter, more covert racism in our society, from a close friend of the family telling horribly offensive jokes to the comments about Jesslayn and Hugo from her own children. I really liked how the author portrayed Jessalyn — who seems to be the most moral character — as being uncomfortable with the racism but not always knowing what to do about it, although she stands up to everyone in her own way.
Finally — and here’s the Kenyon English major fighting its way out — I liked how Oates incorporated Walt Whitman’s poem “A Clear Midnight” into the story. Briefly, the idea of a soul walking alone at midnight in a wordless state, thinking of these four themes that make up the title. So often, it was difficult to tell when a character — especially Jessalyn — was actually speaking. She often seemed wordless externally even when she was bursting with words not coming out. And, while night, sleep, and death all have specific connotations, the stars leave a hopeful note at the end — stars are eternal and lasting and will be there even after we are gone. Life continues on, which is how I think we ultimately leave Jessalyn.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Ecco in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.