Preview
  • A Sudden Light

  • A Novel
  • By: Garth Stein
  • Narrated by: Seth Numrich
  • Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (539 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

A Sudden Light

By: Garth Stein
Narrated by: Seth Numrich
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.24

Buy for $20.24

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

When a boy tries to save his parents’ marriage, he uncovers a legacy of family secrets in a coming-of-age ghost story by the author of the internationally best-selling phenomenon The Art of Racing in the Rain.

In the summer of 1990, 14-year-old Trevor Riddell gets his first glimpse of Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed of giant, whole trees, and is set on a huge estate overlooking Puget Sound. Trevor’s bankrupt parents have begun a trial separation, and his father, Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join forces with his sister, Serena, dispatch Grandpa Samuel - who is flickering in and out of dementia - to a graduated living facility, sell off the house and property for development into "tract housing for millionaires", divide up the profits, and live happily ever after.

But Trevor soon discovers there’s someone else living in Riddell House: a ghost with an agenda of his own. For while the land holds tremendous value, it is also burdened by the final wishes of the family patriarch, Elijah, who mandated it be allowed to return to untamed forestland as a penance for the millions of trees harvested over the decades by the Riddell Timber company. The ghost will not rest until Elijah’s wish is fulfilled, and Trevor’s willingness to face the past holds the key to his family’s future.

A Sudden Light is a rich, atmospheric work that is at once a multigenerational family saga, a historical novel, a ghost story, and the story of a contemporary family’s struggle to connect with each other. A tribute to the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, it reflects Garth Stein’s outsized capacity for empathy and keen understanding of human motivation, and his rare ability to see the unseen: the universal threads that connect us all.

©2014 Garth Stein (P)2014 Simon & Schuster Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about A Sudden Light

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    294
  • 4 Stars
    151
  • 3 Stars
    65
  • 2 Stars
    21
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    346
  • 4 Stars
    93
  • 3 Stars
    31
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    258
  • 4 Stars
    138
  • 3 Stars
    59
  • 2 Stars
    20
  • 1 Stars
    10

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

You won't be disappointed!

Narrator was perfect for the story. I was sorry the journey Garth Stein took me on had to end, but I am different having taken it. Gripping and poignant, the story is masterfully written. I just discovered Garth Stein, but now I can't wait to read his other works.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Liked the story

Ghost stories are always fun. This one was no exception. I read it at first bc I like the reader Seth Numrich, but glad I chose it for the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

very enjoyable!!

loved it! super entertaining. great plot and narration. the narrator did great with all of the characters

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent narration

Extremely enjoyed hearing Seth Numrich tell the story
Reading it myself wouldn't have compared

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

I'm a fan of Garth Stein and the agony of the anticipation is always worth the wait for the next book to be released! I thought this story was brilliantly written as well as perfectly narrated. Stories within a story, engaging characters, provoking thought with words of deep wisdom which you will probably run backward for a harder 2nd listen. And Trevor, wise beyond his years, a grand lead character. he keeps you so engaged you never want it to end. Thank you Garth! What's next? Every book has been so different, there is alot of heart and soul in his style.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

love Garth Stein books

Stein is so skilled at taking me somewhere else. I'm always all in! What talent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Oh my GOD!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

On my god this story is amazing I went through so many different emotions and to be read by Seth Numrich. He voice was everything!! I ran across this because I fell in love with Seth’s voice in “Fairy Tale” and the way he becomes every character. Wow!! So I was looking for another book that he narrated and came across this Diamond. It’s a most listen. A huge thank you to Garth and Seth for an amazing experience.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Family secrets die hard

What made the experience of listening to A Sudden Light the most enjoyable?

First, the narrator, Seth Numrich, who was able to read the story in a natural voice, not sounding like a machine. He captured each character distinctly and let me experience them in my mind. Also, as always, being able to take it with me and listen anytime, anywhere.

What did you like best about this story?

When Trevor discovered the real story behind Grandpa's dementia.

Which character – as performed by Seth Numrich – was your favorite?

I think, Trevor's aunt, who lived in the home with Grandpa. The way Seth spoke her voice made it obvious that she was not right in the head.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I like listening over multiple sittings for a couple of reasons; one being that I drive to work and want something good to listen to on my commute. It was like waiting for and then getting to hear the next episode in a saga.

Any additional comments?

I had not heard of Garth Stein before this, but I will definitely check out his other work. He made a good choice of narrators too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating!

The story was compelling, and I greatly enjoyed the narration. Quite pleasant to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Everything I wanted

This story touches all characteristics of what makes a story haunt me for days after it’s finished. Unpredictable, lush with detail, interesting characters, history, longing for more, love, hate, despair, mystery, mysticism, family and individual stories of characters that flow beautifully in and out of each other. I loved Racing in the Rain….and now I have another to love

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!