Thanks to Jennifer Hamilton and her favorable review of The Night of the Comet in Point of Vue Magazine in Houma, La.–the town that’s the model for the fictional Terrebonne in my novel.
The Night of the Comet
Posted by Jennifer Hamilton on Jul 31, 2013 in 2013, August 2013, Check It Out, Column, Literary
Book by George Bishop Jr.
Did I make a huge mistake when I married this person? Was I just kidding myself when I thought I had potential? Is there still a chance for me to make my dreams come true?
If you have ever asked yourself any of these questions (or enjoyed an episode of The Buckskin Bill Show, which makes a cameo), you should check out George Bishop Jr.’s The Night of the Comet.
This novel jumped to the top of my must-read list as soon as it was released last month, mainly because it is set in Terrebonne. After all, curiosity surrounds a novel narrated by the 14-year-old son of a science teacher at Terrebonne High School.
The Night of the Comet is the poignant and ultimately inspiring story of a family’s struggles in 1973, as awkward but likable Alan “Junior” Broussard’s parents raise local anticipation of the arrival of Comet Kohoutek in a midlife effort to recapture lost dreams.
The Broussards live on Bayou Black, in the fictional town of Terrebonne. In this novel, the town of Terrebonne, rather than Houma, is the parish seat with a picturesque courthouse square. I admit to having been far too distracted while reading the first chapters of The Night of the Comet by thoughts like, “Coach DuPleiss? No, surely his name is Coach Duplantis.” I wasn’t impressed that Junior’s parents initially see their lives as something they fell into rather than an opportunity to achieve their true potential. “Wait … our parish is the place they want to escape from because they think they’re too good for it?!”
But the locale is fictional, right?
Despite these observations, I recommend The Night of the Comet. And if I brought Creole tomatoes to a local book signing, they would be as a gift not to throw. The novel’s conclusion reveals a deep respect for the potential strength and resilience of families everywhere. If not exactly true to place, The Night of the Comet is true to the human condition and is a very good read.
Jennifer Hamilton is the community librarian for the Terrebonne Parish Library System.