Thanks to Natalie Papailiou for her glowing review of The Night of the Comet in today’s Shelf Awareness for Readers.
The Night of the Comet
by George Bishop
George Bishop’s sophomore novel, The Night of the Comet, takes readers back to the first exciting awakening of adolescence: the painful insecurities, the overpowering flush of first love and the magical certainty that anything is possible.
Set in the sleepy town of Terrebonne, La., in 1973, the tale is told by 14-year-old Alan Broussard, Jr., a lower-middle-class kid with no discernible talent–and the burden of a father who’s the geekiest science teacher at his high school.
After Bishop (Letter to My Daughter) establishes a pitch-perfect mood, Alan’s world is shaken by Comet Kohoutek’s impending appearance. The whole town prepares for this momentous event. Suddenly Alan’s father is no longer a joke, but an expert to be revered and respected. The young teen experiences his own kind of cosmic epiphany when he falls madly in love with the rich, gorgeous Gabriella, who has moved in across the street–but he is not the only one entranced by her captivating beauty.
Bishop’s stunningly crafted coming-of-age novel of yearning, devotion and choices will bring readers back to their own first love. The time period is captured brilliantly and the story is hauntingly realistic. As if the outstanding plot and lovingly developed characters weren’t enough, the book is interspersed with enough fascinating nuggets about astronomy and sky watching that it wouldn’t be surprising if it sparked a run on telescopes after its release.